Cash on Delivery ★★★★ The Mill at Sonning | Feb 5 - Apr 4, 2026


If the weather is bleak and sodden, The Mill at Sonning offers the perfect antidote to the winter doldrums: a generous meal, a nice glass of wine and a riotously absurd comedy by Michael Cooney. In Cash on Delivery, Eric Swan has been fraudulently claiming benefits to which he is not entitled. When he finally resolves to put matters right, events spiral spectacularly out of control in ways he could never have foreseen. The mechanics of farce are familiar to seasoned theatregoers, yet the satisfaction of watching someone else's unravelling remains undimmed. A host of Sonning favourites return to the stage in this production. Steven Pinder is superb as the slippery schemer ensnared in his own labyrinth of lies, while James Bradshaw shines as the endearingly flustered lodger and Swan’s unwilling accomplice in the ever-expanding tangle of deceit. Natasha Gray brings warmth and bite to Eric’s exasperated, long-suffering wife, and Harry Gostelow is absolutely spot on as the hopelessly credulous bureaucrat, Mr Jenkins. For the necessary frantic entrances and exits there are doors aplenty and the multitude of mistaken identities manages to leave the audience almost as confused as the characters. Director Ron Aldridge's pacing is perfect, scarcely allowing time to catch one’s breath. What this work lacks, however, is the sharper satirical edge that distinguishes the finest comedies in the farce tradition. There is little of the moral or social bite that animates the genre at its most enduring. From Molière to La Cage aux Folles, great farce has often doubled as sly social commentary, skewering hypocrisy and exposing pretension while probing questions of identity and status. Cooney’s play makes no such ambitious claims. It is unabashedly light - a sparkling, frothy after to The Mill’s reliably excellent fare. And perhaps that is quite enough. On a dreary winter’s day, a hearty meal and two hours of expertly timed chaos may be precisely the restorative required.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Carla Joy Evans

When, Where, Getting there:
  • Feb 5 - Apr 4, 2026
  • Wed - Sat: 8:15 pm. Restaurant open and serving dinner from 6 pm - 7:15 pm
  • Sat & Sun from Feb 15: 2:15 pm. Restaurant open and serving lunch from 12 pm - 1:15 pm
  • Feb 26 & Mar 19 - Show only: 2:15 pm
  • The Mill at Sonning
  • Nearest station: Reading
  • https://millatsonning.com/Events/cash-on-delivery/
Map & Location: Sonning Eye, Reading RG4 6TY, UK

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