This is a very good show; it’s funny, it’s pacy and it’s clever. Set mainly in the apartment flat of a rich footballer, it is a farce following the unlikely connections between a group of friends and their local communist society. The jokes come thick and fast (we were laughing all the way through), and they have been teased out of the well-written script with an attention to detail which is rare in student productions.

The cast are uniformly good, showing off the script to its full potential. Without exception, they share impressive skills in comic timing. Ryan Lea as Daniel is engaging and sets the show off to a good start in his opening scene with John Livesey as his driver Sergei. Livesey is also clearly a talented comic actor and sustains the flippant confident character and a plausible Russian accent throughout the piece. El Blackwood’s Russian accent is similarly consistent, and her performance is strong; she even survives being thrown around the stage in a curtain without breaking any bones! Imo Reeve-Tucker as brash friend Katie excels in her performance, which never slips. James Tibbles makes a memorable if short appearance as the whiney Johan, who turns out to have a more complicated relationship to the other characters than he realised. Georgina Botham as the café owner has a very sharp and funny delivery style, and Christopher Page as communist ring-leader Alex has all the appropriate bitterness and wit; it is a stylish portrayal of the character. Last but not least, director Lucy Hayes appears as Tatiana’s near-silent sister Sophia, but still manages to be part of some of the funniest moments in the show with her deadpan facial expressions; a credit to her directing as well as her acting!

There were a few moments where the physical comedy felt perhaps slightly under-rehearsed or choreographed, with the potential to lead to accidents, but this is a minor quibble. This is a fantastic script, cast and creative team who have created a show that’s laugh-out-loud funny. Would recommend!