Contagious Comedy Brings Laughter to The Mill
“He came in with gout, was operated on for piles and now is dead from a heart attack!”
Dr Bonney
The 2025 season has started with a winner at The Mill at Sonning, a well-established dinner and show venue. Directed by Ron Aldridge, this farce, It Runs in the Family, written by Ray Cooney and first performed in November 1987, has been updated by Cooney and adapted for the stage at Sonning.
As many know, a farce relies on precise comedic elements and can be challenging to execute. This is where the experience of the production team shines. The impressive set, designed by Alex Marker, is a hospital doctors’ common room just before Christmas in 1992. The staff is preparing for a Boxing Day pantomime. The set features three doors, allowing characters to enter, deliver their lines, and exit quickly, as well as large windows overlooking the rooftops opposite creating the possibility of action outside on the window sill.
Dr. David Mortimore (Steven Pinder) is rehearsing his speech for a major international conference being held at the hospital. His wife, Rosemary (Rachel Fielding), knows that a successful presentation could lead to promotion and even a knighthood. His second-in-command, Dr. Bonney (expertly played by James Bradshaw), supports him. Suddenly, an old flame, Jane Tate (Natasha Gray), arrives with shocking news: Dr. Mortimore has a son, Leslie (Frances Redfern), who is desperate to find his father.
Other notable characters include Sir Willoughby Drake (Eric Carte), Matron (Elizabeth Elvin), cantankerous Scottish patient Bill (Iain Stuart Robertson), intern Doctor Connolly (Oscar Cleaver), and the ever-present Police Sergeant (Titus Rowe).
The plot unfolds with increasingly absurd and hilarious complications as Dr. Mortimore scrambles to keep everyone happy with a web of outrageous excuses. Expect a policeman with wet trousers, multiple matron mix-ups, and the inevitable dropping of silk underwear.
The cast is first-rate, delivering sharp, well-timed lines without long speeches to slow the action. This makes for an evening of fast-paced, laugh-out-loud entertainment that the audience clearly loved. Highly recommended!
Malcolm Beckett has been reviewing theatre since 2017
Production Notes
It Runs in the Family
Written by Ray Cooney
Directed by Ron Aldridge
Cast
Starring:
James Bradshaw
Eric Carte
Oscar Cleaver
Elizabeth Elvin
Rachel Fielding
Natasha Gray
Steven Pinder
Francis Redfern
Iain Stuart Robertson
Titus Rowe
Creatives
Director: Ron Aldridge
Set Designer: Alex Marker
Costume Designer: Natalie Titchener
Lighting Designer: Graham Weymouth
Information
Running Time: One hour 55 minutes with an interval
Booking to 12th April 2025
Theatre:
Theatre:
The Mill at Sonning Theatre
Sonning Eye
Reading
RG4 6TY
Website: millatsonning.com
Box Office: (0118) 969 8000
Reviewed by Malcolm Beckett
at the Mill at Sonning
on 21st February 2025