The Stage

Funny Money

Published Monday 8 February 2010 at 11:55 by Chris High

Farce is a complicated beast that to work at its best needs to be slick, fast-paced and delivered with assurance. Funny Money remains funny in places, but is somewhat let down by the fact that it is not as slick or as assured as might be hoped, with a long setup that cuts the pace of the first half drastically.

What’s difficult to pinpoint is why. It certainly isn’t the cast. Neil Caple and Eithne Browne pull out all the stops as the married couple who find themselves mistakenly in possession of £2 million in used notes. Both are ably supported by the versatile Alan Stocks and Roy Carruthers as two police officers on the case for entirely different reasons, and excellent too is Roy Davis, whose increasingly frustrated cabbie, Bill, is a picture of comic timing. Mark Moraghan as Vic gives a great example of befuddlement and Jane Hogarth’s Betty at times holds the whole thing together with a fine portrayal of selfishness.

Neither is energy problematic as the entire cast are at full steam throughout, all of which is admirably directed by Leslie Lawton. No, the problem lies in a script that, although clever, frequently becomes too complicated for its own good and leaves the audience at a loss to who’s who.

Something of a departure from the usual Royal Court fare of sharp, punch line comedy, Funny Money has its moments and will doubtlessly appeal to lovers of the convoluted creature that is British farce, but overall it is a bit too much like hard work.