Cash on Delivery @ the Mill at Sonning

Cash on Delivery is a farce by the household name of Cooney, however this time, not Ray but his son Micheal. It follows Eric Swan (Steven Pinder) as he comes face to face with the consequences of his actions, in this case, two years of benefit fraud and several faked deaths. Throughout the play he has to balance batting away several Department of Social Security workers (Harry Gostelow, Felicity Duncan), a fretting lodger (James Bradshaw), a mad uncle (Michael Shaw), and a wife (Natasha Gray) that thinks he’s hiding a different secret entirely!

Though hampered slightly by a slow opening and a weak premise, where the first scene revolves around Swan convincing the DSS that his lodger is dead whilst said lodger wanders in and out of the room, Cash on Delivery still delivers plenty a laugh throughout as characters bumble their way through the ever spinning web of lies and deceit being crafted by Swan.

Pinder and Bradshaw are standouts in their roles (as I have come to expect from their performances in other Mill farces), bouncing off each other throughout the space as they, often reluctantly, collude with one another to fool the DSS and evade a lengthy prison sentence. Watching them wind each other up is a delight as they run off and on stage, creating a frantic panic that is particularly enjoyable in the play’s second act. 

I also gained a soft spot for Dr Chapman (Oscar Cleaver) throughout, as his understated moments of physical comedy (more specifically when he tried to ‘sit down!’ in mid air) tickled me pleasantly. Another one appeared at the time Norman’s fiancee Brenda Dixon (Melanie Gutteridge) made her entrance – though this was strangely late into the second act – as she slotted in excellently with the rest of the cast, hitting every comedic beat available.

The set design was also a treat, with a beautifully painted street outside the window which I could appreciate for its beauty as well as how much I wanted somebody to fall through it and the perfect amount of slam on the doors that is the cherry on top of a good farce.

The few pitfalls in this piece felt more like they came from the source material rather than from the direction and acting choices, with a choice of script that felt more dated than it should as a play from the 90s. However, there were many other sections that were joyful and undid this hesitation in the source material, leaving me with a warm feeling that the Mill often provides. It is as always, lovely to be back at the Mill which is a treat of a day out. The experience provided is always tip top, from the food, to the wine, to the plays, as they consistently put on successful comedy and a wonderful afternoon or evening that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to anyone.

This run is on from now until April 4th – find more information and buy tickets here

Photo by Carla Joy Evans