Review: Canoeing For Beginners, Royal Court

IT is billed as a comedy about real life, fake death and living the dream, and it has a fantastic team behind it.

Written by Mike Yeaman, last at the theatre five years ago with Lucky Numbers, and directed by Cal McCrystal of national acclaim, it has quality stamped across it.

It also has a brilliant cast in the ever-versatile Pauline Fleming who is the real star of this farce.

And it is a farce. Doors shut, doors open and shut again.

Sometimes you really don't know what's going on.

A cash-strapped couple decide to claim on insurance when the sailing fanatic hubby thinks he has a master plan and wife Beryl goes along with it.

There are some superb backdrop projections. A puppet dog is also a star.

And there's inspired ad-libbing.

So, does this show work?

Well suspend belief - you have a cast of seven who never stop working.

The story does not have a satisfactory conclusion. But it does have a great finale dance sequence.

There's so much onstage activity and fun performances from local hero Stephen Fletcher as Watts, a copper who appears to be not the full shilling, as they say.

So good to see John McArdle on stage again, but sadly he isn't used to maximum effect.

There are times when you think you are watching Fawlty Towers meets any soap opera on telly with an unbeliveable storyline.

It is a slick show and the set design and Miss Fleming make you applaud such a theatrical adventure.

Globe rating: 8/10.