LYCEUM Theatre Oldham ends a season of British comedy, celebrating the tradition of farce with Not Now, Darling by Ray Cooney and John Chapman from Friday June 8 to Saturday June 16.
Set in an elegant fur salon in Mayfair, flamboyant owner Gilbert Bodley is scheming to seduce a beautiful (but unfortunately married) stripper, with the aid of a mink coat.
His scheme goes badly awry when her husband buys the coat at a reduced price for his own mistress. Frenzied attempts to retrieve the coat and hide the now naked stripper lead to the kind of elements that make up the Great British Farce.
Ray Cooney and John Chapman are masters of the art and, with the perspective of the 21st Century, the audience can enjoy the un-PC shenanigans and comic character creations in a new light.
Not Now, Darling was written in 1967 and opened on the West End on June 12 1968. This production celebrates farce’s enduring power to make us laugh.
The play is directed by David Fielding, who has been part of the Lyceum (on and off) for more than 30 years.
David said: “I was thrilled to be invited to direct this play. It used to be a tradition at the Lyceum to end the season with a farce and I have a fantastic team who are all used to working on farce, which is completely different to any other form of drama.”
Tickets are still available for Not Now, Darling and can be bought online for only £8.50 from lyceumtheatre.org.uk.
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