"What the Butler Saw" by Joe Orton.

London Classic Theatre.

Derby Theatre.

For years I've ruminated as to why Joe Orton's plays are not performed on a more regular basis in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and, more importantly Leicestershire. Thank goodness a theatre company from London decided to produce and tour Orton's final piece of work so we can get the joy of a master and mirthful playwright like Orton.

Dr Prentice is a psychiatrist. We first find him interviewing a young lady, Geraldine Barclay, for a secretarial job. It doesn't take long to find out that the good Doctor has a different kind of employment in mind for Geraldine. Prentice dupes her into getting undressed so he can perform a "thorough examination" and it's at that point his wife appears, forcing Geraldine to hide behind a curtain. Mrs Prentice is not devoid of troubles of her own. Her dalliances with a Bell Boy at the Station Hotel have put her in an awkward position as the young man has photographs of their lovemaking, and also wants a secretarial job, which Mrs Prentice wants her husband to give to him. 

On top of all of this, Dr Rance, a Government Inspector, turns up, discovers Geraldine and when Prentice tells him that she is a patient, Rance promptly commits her. Mayhem ensues as Geraldine, Beckett, and a local policeman, Sergeant Match, all disrobe and swap clothes as Dr. Prentice attempts to keep some sort of order in his chaotic clinic. From there on, it starts to get slightly complicated!

Dr Prentice is played by John Dorney. Prentice likes a drink or ten whilst working and this adds another layer to the comedic catastrophe that is about to ensue on stage. Dorney brings a feel of John Cleese's Basil Fawlty to the Doctor's character as the confusion climbs, and the drawers drop.... on several occasions! The acting gets more manic as the show goes on, but there's another character who goes even further on the manic scale than the dotty Doctor!

Geraldine Barclay is played by Alana Jackson. Geraldine thought her potential employer was slightly unhinged, but by the end of the farce, she discovered that the psychiatric situation was so much worse than she had ever imagined when she applied for the secretarial stand.

Mrs Prentice is played by Holly Smith. The Doctor and Mrs Prentice are well matched because both characters are on a sliding scale to insanity, which makes this journey a joy for the audience to see just how far down that scale this married couple slip.

Nicholas Beckett, the blackmailing Page Boy, is played by  Alex Cardall. Like several of the other characters, Beckett swaps clothes and characters to try and untangle the tangled mess that is created by the Doctor, as well as the Government Inspector, Dr Rance. Alex is perfectly cast in this role as the lusty Bell Boy, and spends much of his time on stage in just a pair of white pants.

Dr Rance is played by Jack Lord. If any character was going to outdo Prentice in the insanity stakes, then Rance is the man. Within two hours he goes from a "respected" Inspector to a drugged up, maniacal, gun wielding looney who has a penchant for sniffing certain items of clothing. And we loved it!

Sergeant Match is played by Jon-Paul Rowden. The third character to be talked out of his clothes by a medical man!

The cast are all superb, which is why I've not been able to pick out one actor over another for any particular spotlight, and obviously have an enormous amount of energy to bring this play through to its' gloriously funny fruition.

This is farce at its' very best with various items of clothing being swapped with other characters, and then appearing completely kosha to the other stage characters - it's like we are all in on a secret that is so obvious, but everyone else on stage can't see. 

The script is as manic as the characters and it's delivered at breakneck speed, as if the quicker the script is delivered, results in getting to the bar earlier. This speed also adds to the comedy. I compared Dr Prentice to Basil Fawlty earlier and that is the feel of this whole production. You almost get the feel that Basil Fawlty could have been based on Orton's Dr Prentice. The script as manic as the characters, or reflecting the characters may be more true.

When you think of "farce", we think of actors like Brian Rix in the 1970's, but here is a superb slice of farce from the late 1960's. Orton's cheeky language and playwriting skills remain just as fresh and funny, while still making the show seem pleasantly dated, proving that if something is funny, it's funny whatever the decade. It helps being a fan of Orton's work, and like I stated earlier, it's such a shame that not more of his work is seen locally, because his writing is sharp, as well as cutting, and his political writing stands the test of time. It's completely politically incorrect on every level, which could be another reason why I love Orton's work.

Directed by Michael Cabot, the founder and Artistic Director of London Classic Theatre. It's completely obvious that Michael knows comedy and how to present it to an audience. He teaches you from the off that you need to listen to the script for fear of missing some funny line - no time for any audience member to be checking their Facebook account or email while this play is on, although a couple did (shame on them). Pace is an essential ingredient to farce and Mr Cabot has the perfect recipe for a sweet success.

Produced by Kathryn Cabot.

The set design is by Bek Palmer, and as soon as you walk into the auditorium you think Monty Python. I won't say why but the design is incredibly abstract while being steeped in retro style. To be truly called a farce requires a minimum of three doors and, if you count the curtained off examination couch, I counted five combined entry and exit points. Much of the comedy in any farce revolves around someone entering, while another is exiting, and one person just missing the next or just catching the next person, which is why a minimum of three is needed. Bek made sure that this quota was satisfied. 

The design is also comic book style with a distorted wash area, which I thought was a walking cane behind a trough, a brilliant cartoony bookcase and a desk which seemed to have as many drawers as the set had doors!

Bek is also responsible for the costume designs and apart from the two doctors, who kept their own clothes on, the other characters had costumes that seemed to be one size fits all - male or female. 

Lighting Design is by Hector Murray and Sound Design by Chris Drohan. Both areas expertly operated.

This is my kind of comedy, and more proof that Northern writers are the funniest. It took a theatre company based in Surrey to bring Orton back to a Northern stage, and presented and produced in such comic style that Mr Orton would have loved. If you have a sense of humour, or not easily offended by proper comedy, get tickets for this classic comedy.

By the way, hopefully I won't shatter any illusions, but there are no Butlers in this show.

"What the Butler Saw" contains strong language and subject matter which Joe Orton very much hoped audiences would find offensive, and is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 15 June.