Funny Money
From Monday 8 October 2001
To Saturday 13 October 2001
Roy Cooney
Extracts from press releases
You know the plot involving vast sums of money going missing, tipsy wives, suspicious huddlings beneath blankets, a man called Mr Brerfcurse, bolshy Cockney cab drivers, and trips to Barcelona that you can only be in the madcap world of farce; and what better way of spending an Autumn evening than with a show from the master farceur Ray Cooney.
It's a classical piece of British fun with exaggerated characters charging on set, cheese and chutney sandwiches, telephone confusion, briefcases galore, and feverish searches for pussy(!) which is bound to have the audiences rolling in the aisles. This is a recent hit from Cooney's pen as sharp and as entertaining as his old classics Not Now Darling, Move over Mrs Markham and Run For Your Wife.
Artistic director for the Nonnies, Liz Cole, said: "It's about time we had a go at a farce. They're murder to rehearse and the lines are difficult to commit to memory, but the reward for the audience is pure delight. I have no doubt that this will be the funniest play we mount this year."
Extract from Directors Notes
Ray Cooney began his theatrical career as a boy actor in Song of Norway at the Palace Theatre in 1946. He served his apprenticeship by playing in various repertory companies from Worthing to Blackburn before graduating to Brian Rix's company at the Whitehall Theatre in 1956. He played Dry Rot and Simple Spymen and then began a writing career which, to date, has produced seventeen plays including One for the Pot (co-written with Tony Hilton), There goes the Bride, (co-written with John Chapman) Chase me Comrade, Why Not Stay For Breakfast, Wife Begins at Forty, Two into One, Out of Order, It Runs in the Family and Funny Money.
As Producer and Director he has been responsible for over thirty London productions, including Lloyd George Knew My Father, Whose Life is it Anyway?, They're Playing Our Song, Duet for One, Bodies, Chicago, Clouds and Children of a Lesser God.
In 1983, Ray formed the Theatre of Comedy Company (bringing together the founder members consisting of Thirty West End stars) and he became its first Artistic Director. During Ray's tenure the company produced over twenty plays... During Ray's hectic theatrical career he has always found time to continue acting and played the last year of Run for your Wife in London before appearing in the New York production. Recently he played the lead in It Runs in the Family and Funny Money.