Oh dear. What can I possibly say about Mother’s Day? I was not looking forward to it, having read the play years ago and am not a fan of the writer’s work. I still believe it is dated, having been first seen in 1976. But it stands alone as an interesting example of the new theatre and humour of that time.

To explain it further; it was a combination of Joe Orton’s Loot and Entertaining Mr Sloane, crossed with Sam Shepherd’s Buried Child and Pinter’s The Homecoming. It is rude, offensive, shocking, ridiculous and downright silly. But this production, most shockingly of all - was very, very funny. Quite literally to my horror, I found myself laughing despite myself many times throughout the evening.

It could have been a disaster, but the quality and commitment of the actors saved it! We therefore congratulate director Richard Pedersen for this, because as John Ford and Elia Kazan both decreed, direction is 90% casting. He also obviously made the actors feel safe enough to be completely cringingly outlandish. Half-hearted, apologetic acting would have ruined it. Never once did I feel embarrassed for the actors having to say or do what they were, and this is down to the strong, committed, ensemble that the director created.

It is difficult to sum up the plot, if you can actually decipher one at all. A young woman comes to claim the spare room her husband has rented in a family council home. She seems even younger than the eighteen she claims to be and is much taken aback by the antics of this strange family who seem to purloin her possessions, hide the tea and the kettle and try to follow her to her bedroom. She manages to ward off the murderous and lecherous attentions of the visiting youngest son, Gordon, and goes to her room to wait for her husband to arrive, with the bed pushed firmly against the door! In the meantime another son, Harold, arrives from his Air Force base in Scotland after three years away, in order to prevent Gordon from killing their father as he has threatened to do. Arthur and his sister Edith lock eyes on each other and he is persuaded that ‘you don’t need to leave home to f*** your sister’ and plans for the wedding begin. Judith’s husband arrives the next morning followed by a private detective, Mr Peters, who tells the family that Judith is only seventeen and has eloped with a professional seducer who is already married. Add the girl’s father, her mother, large sums of money being asked for or offered, amnesia, incest, a man disguised as a woman, dishevelled clothing and a lot of talk of ‘threesomes’ in the bedroom and you pretty much get the idea.

I feel I shouldn’t point out any one particular actor in such an ensemble, but as the larger-than-life unhinged matriarch, Mrs Johnson, who locks her bedroom door and the tea caddy during the day, even from her husband, new member Ruby Karatziola must be congratulated. She and Martin Shaw as her husband Mr Johnson were the well-matched bookends on the sliding scales of sanity in this family and of the production, leading by example the, mostly younger cast.

Further new members, Imogen de Ste Croix, as the apparently innocent Judy and Ellie Ward as seemingly sensible Edna both seemed sane and innocent until proven or becoming otherwise. Visitors to this home seemed to become infected with the sick madness that ran through rampant through this house. Marie Lonergan as the supposedly mad Lily who lives in the cupboard in the kitchen and only eats when her mother allows her to, created a wonderfully weirdly warm human and crazily sane character that we all grew to love. Jonathon Cooper as the professional seducer was completely believable even when joining in on the madness and becoming Gordon’s partner-in-crime/wing-man.

Charlie Bailey as Harold brought a dim-witted and earnest innocence to this mad family and we had hopes he could sort things out until we realised he was as mad as the rest as he locked eyes on Edna. Nick Edwards as Peters handled himself well amongst the madness, as well as displaying a fine pair of legs in a frock.

Richard Brent as Gordon; the apple of his mother’s eye, bane of his father’s life and surely on several police watch-lists; gave the most assured performance of his that I have seen! Portraying what is easily the most disgusting, foul-mouthed and down-right creepy character in this play, the actor seemed to ride the balance of frightening and funny so that we, the audience, felt that no one was in actual danger (except perhaps in the bedroom!) and that we were allowed to laugh at him. Suffice to say I will never be able to handle a fireplace poker again without feeling a little ‘dirty’!

James McKendrick and Samantha Wright as Judith’s parents had small but significant roles in the mayhem. Mr McKendrick however has the dubious honour of playing the one character who was not pushed/dragged/chased to a bedroom or constantly recalling the loss of his/her virginity!

The set, designed by Michael Bettell and the director, was a perfect reminder of 60’s/70’s front rooms right down to the tiling around the gas fire and including two working windows. The sound, by Colin Guthrie put us in the correct era right from the word go and the costumes by the Assistant Director Robynne Batley and the cast assisted by Sheila Burbidge were perfect for each character and the times.

Well done to everyone, on providing an entertaining, if somewhat disturbing, production.