THE COURSE

The Warehouse Theatre,

Weymouth

HALF a dozen dysfunctional people go on a two week residential course in the hope of being hired to sell insurance with a door-to-door company, all of which does not sound like a very good plot for a laugh-out-loud comedy.

But wait, this is a play written by none other than Mrs Brown’s Boys creator, Brendon O’Carroll and it has all the hallmarks of his comic genius, complete with adult humour and rich language.

The Irish comedy gets off to a slow start as the dodgy tutor finds that his latest class are a bunch of losers who, when his boss unexpectedly shows up to supervise the course, are likely to get him the sack as they will almost certainly fail their exams.

But all is not lost and selling insurance suddenly becomes a fun activity, thanks to a clever script that is keenly observant on how the problems of ordinary lives can be transformed with motivation and positive thinking.

Weymouth Drama Club pull out all the stops in a production that it a delight from start to finish as the magnificent six, led by the slippery tutor, learn about themselves and each other while discovering the value of PMA, or Positive Mental Attitude which changes their lives.

The excellent cast nicely manage their Irish accents along with their oddball characters ranging from a hooker, an alcoholic and a fantasist actor to a man with a serious stammer, an oppressed housewife and a likeable fool.

Leading the way is an excellent Bob Mears in the challenging role of Joe the tutor and Chris Walker strides into his role as the American supervisor while Jan Dench’s direction keeps the whole thing swinging along nicely.

The rest of this fine cast comprise Caroline Portsmouth, Deborah Walton, Andy Neve, Pete Hutton, Richard Hook and Glenn Ingram, all of them making the most of their varied roles with background music supplied by Simon Swarbrick and Robert Smith on the keyboard.

The production continues for the rest of the week and the welcoming bijou venue beside Weymouth’s Brewery Square is sure to attract full houses throughout the run.

MARION COX