Have You Anything to Declare

Synopsis

On the night train to his honeymoon, a young man fails to consummate his marriage because he is interrupted by a custom's officer asking, 'Have you anything to declare?' He returns in need of advice and help to restore his now flagging potency. Especially as his new in-laws threaten to hand over their daughter to a rival unless the situation is rectified in three days. The advice he gets takes him to the studio of Zeze, who plies her trade under the guise of being a painter and who gives her clients names like Botticelli and Watteau. But of course, everyone in the cast seems to have a reason for being at Zeze's, including a camel dealer in search of his lost wife and the police in pursuit of the Vampire of Vincennes.

Our Review:

19 December 2001

Farce is a very particular taste and whilst there are doubtless legions of folk who will flock to everything Messrs Cooney et al produce, many others shy clear of the predictability that's inherent in the genre. Sam Walters, artistic director of the Orange Tree, emphasises that, at its best, farce can "deal with serious issues seriously and yet produce tears of mirth".

Fair enough and, whilst it's undoubtedly true that superb comic timing and a watertight ensemble are prerequisites for successful farce, unfortunately this is not a production to persuade those as yet unconvinced of its merits. That said, Have You Anything to Declare does possess its amusing moments and steams along at a good pace.

Penned by the 19-century French writers Maurice Hennequin and Pierre Veber - here translated courtesy of Robert Cogo-Fawcett and Braham Murray - and set at the beginning of the 20th century, the story follows the fortunes of one Vicomte Robert de...

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