THE opening night of a George Bernard Shaw play in Malvern is certain to pull in the crowds and You Never Can Tell was no exception.
Laughter echoing around the packed theatre proved the audience was not disappointed by the superbly acted farce.
After 18 years of living in Madeira, the Clandon family are celebrating their return to England with a seaside holiday.
By coincidence they meet their estranged father, who disapproves of their rather unconventional manners.
A series of arguments and incidents follows before their differences are reconciled.
Memorable characters made You Never Can Tell a pleasure to watch.
Edward Fox played waiter William with superb comic timing and Diana Quick was excellent as the unconventional Mrs Clandon.
Sinead Matthews really impressed as Mrs Clandon's boisterous and inquisitive younger daughter, Dolly, with Matthew Dunphy playing her equally outgoing brother.
The flirting and bickering between older sister Gloria (Nancy Carroll) and dentist Valentine (Ryan Kiggell) was entertaining and as Mr Crampton, the father of the family, Ken Bones achieved his character's transformation from horror to acceptance.
You Never Can Tell does become self-indulgent at times but some excellent acting makes it genuinely funny.
It plays until tomorrow (Saturday).
Jo Lafferty
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article