ALAN Macpherson's production of this witty, fast-moving and saucy farce by Ken Ludwig has been cast with great skill and is exceptionally good.

At last night's opening all eight characters were comfortable with their accents, American and Italian, and with their roles.

As at least one other critic has noticed, there is a touch of the Marx Brothers about the excellent one-liners and the zany situations involving much rushing in and out of rooms.

Macpherson plays Tito Merelli, the world-famous tenor, who is contracted to open the season as Otello for the Cleveland Grand Opera Company, but falls victim to wine, women and food.

In well-played scenes of farcical confusion, another tenor is substituted for the great man on the night.

To reveal the circumstances would be to give the game way, but like last night's audience no-one could fail to enjoy the skilfully-contrived convolutions of the plot.

Both Macpherson and Mark Roberts, excellent as Max the second tenor, mimed well to the recorded opera music, and were as OTT as their roles required.

Chris Irish was superb as Saunders, the opera company's general manager, delivering lines with Groucho-like crispness. Joyce Smith was convincingly Italian as Maria, Tito's emotional wife, and Jason Crompton made the most of his role as the eccentric Bellhop.

Carolyn Haslam as Maggie, Max's girlfriend; Irene Smith, as the soprano, Diana, and Edwina Freeman as Julia, Chairman of the Opera Guild, were there to be deflated in the best traditions of similar females in such Marxian films as A Night at the Opera. All played their parts well.

Set and costumes complemented the high standard of acting.

At the end the play was presented again as in a speeded-up film, a feat that must have taken considerable rehearsal.

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