Michael Cooney, son of playwright, director and producer Ray Cooney is mostly a screen writer in Los Angeles these days. His farce Cash on Delivery is celebrating three decades since his father directed it at the Whitehall Theatre which is now The Trafalgar Theatre. 

The comedy is as fresh as a daisy and full of reasons to giggle. Of course it isn’t just the writing that contributes to a successful farce but the timing and delivery of the actors, many of whom have played before at the beautiful Mill at Sonning, the UK’s only dining theatre. That is, unless you count A Play, A Pint and A Pie in Glasgow, but the Mill at Sonnng is no greasy spoon but delicious cuisine. 

Set in a semi-detached house in the Mile End Road in the mid 1990s, Eric Swan (the magnificent Steven Pinder) has chanced upon a way of making money after he lost his job two years ago in the civil service.  His wife Linda (Natasha Gray) continues to go out to work, unaware of her husband’s unemployment. I say unemployment but in fact he is embroiled in loads of paperwork as he is submitting tens of claims for social security benefits on behalf of fictitious lodgers, all of whom have disabilities and illnesses eligible for extra payments.  

He is claiming benefits for his real lodger, Norman Bassett (James Bradshaw) but when the DSS inspector Mr Jenkins (Henry Gostelow) calls to ask to see Norman, Eric Swan says that Norman has passed away.  It is there that things get more complicated and chaotic as Social Security want to give Norman’s heirs a death grant, a widow’s benefit and help towards his funeral expenses.