Chase Me Comrade

Continuous Laughter

To sustain laughter continuously for more than two hours is not an easy task but it presented no problem to Wythall Dramatic Society when it staged Ray Cooney's farce.

This delightfully mad romp involved a defecting Russian ballet dancer and a family's effort to smuggle him out of the country.

It was interesting to note that there were a number of new faces in the cast. Peter Webber, taking his first lead, had a long and demanding part but he tackled it with assurance.

Old hands Jack Parramore, Beryl Linforth, Angela Smith and Ann Cope all gave faultless performances while making a welcome return after absence through illness was Gerry Solomon.

P.K.S., Local Newspaper 1982

Ray Cooney's "Chase Me, Comrade!"

Ray Cooney's "Chase Me, Comrade!", Wythall Dramatic Society's latest production, contains all the traditional ingredients of farce - impersonations, slapstick, buffoonery, intoxication and a convenient cupboard for instant concealment of unwanted personnel.

The presence of new names in the cast certainly did nothing to tarnish the Society's reputation for excellence, and this rumbustious, knockabout comedy showed Peter Webber in the field most suited to his talents.

The producers, Val Archer and Phil Lett, deserve warm congratulations, as also do all the gallant survivors of knocks, tumbles and other forms of stage violence.

Perhaps the set called for mild criticism. The ultramarine walls, whilst undeniably appropriate to a navel officer's home, somehow detracted from the image of the "country house" promised in the programme. One might also comment on the reluctance of some male members of the cast to remove their headgear indoors!

Unknown Reviewer, Local Newspaper 1982