Many plays and films have used identical suitcases, one containing oodles of cash, as the basis for comedy. But veteran writer Eric Chappell proves there's still life in the old joke in his latest play Heatstroke.
He has two of his characters pick up the wrong bag in the airport while on their way to a Spanish villa. He has two other characters turning up at the same villa and deciding they want a share of the mysterious money.
And he has the actual owner, a bank robber known as Mad Dog Moon who would like to regain ownership of his ill-gotten gains. As if that isn't enough, Chappell throws in another sinister stranger to further complicate matters.
Unsurprisingly Heatstroke - due to be performed by Keighley Playhouse this month - is described by producer David Hardman as a farce. The villa is double booked; suitcase is hidden in a snake-infested bush; one woman seduces the other couple's husband; gangsters and police are involved.
David took a few weeks' break from producing Skipton Amateurs' youth production of Dracula Spectacular, in order to helm Heatstroke.
The play comes from the pen of Eric Chappell, writer of well-known sitcoms such as Rising Damp, Only When I Laugh and Duty Free. The cast includes Patricia Henney and Mike Boothroyd as one couple, and Mike's wife Barbara and John Cohen as the other.
Although they have different on-stage partners, Barbara gets to seduce Mike in order to find out where he has hidden the money. Edward Cowen plays one visitor and Leigh Bowman is the English gangster known as Mad Dog Moon.
Heatstroke is performed on January 21-26 at 7.30pm. Book tickets at Keighley Information Centre in the town hall or phone 01535 645140. David says: "Hopefully it will take audiences to somewhere sunny, away from our chilly winter."
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