Mr.Courtney's Brood (Three Minute Theatre, Manchester)

Unable to persuade his brothers and sister to attend his father’s 90th birthday party Francis (Stephen Costello), the youngest of Mr. Courtney’s Brood tells his siblings that their father has died. The family willingly gather to hear the reading of the will but things do not go as expected.

A collection of sketchy and unsympathetic characters can only be realised on stage in an exaggerated manner. Writer James Hadfield- Hyde and director Gina T Frost make the surprising choice of opting for a musical. This works very well.

Simple piano arrangements bring an intimate drawing room atmosphere and the cast, particularly Sophie Ann Ellicott, rise to the challenge of delivering the numbers. Frost stages the songs in a deceptively casual manner with cast members forming a spontaneous chorus in the background.

The play is, however, uneven. All except one of the songs is in the first half suggesting a lack of commitment to the concept. The second half becomes one long explanation with a seriously unsatisfying ending.

Hadfield- Hyde’s script aspires to be daringly politically incorrect and shocking. However, jokes describing people as 'darkies' and 'gays' just make the play feel dated. There is a sense of strain as if everyone is trying a bit too hard to make the play work.

The cast seem to be enjoying themselves as much as the audience and director Frost indulges in this approach. Aiden J Harvey (Mr. Courtney), channelling Albert Steptoe, endears himself to the audience by corpsing . Costello has a show-stopping burst of hysterics that is very funny the first time but less so when the technique is repeated and adopted by other cast members.

Mr. Courtney’s Brood is too patchy to be completely successful. The songs in the play work so well that you wonder if exploring a revue might have been a better option.

Mr. Courtney’s Brood is at the Three Minute Theatre, Manchester until 14 November.