You know you’re in for a night of good farcical comedy when you are greeted by a set with at least five different doorways into mischief: the perfect trappings for a guaranteed night of laughter. And The Mill at Sonning’s latest production, ‘Cash on Delivery’ provides laughter in abundance.
The scene is set in the home of a well-to-do house in East London in 1996. The action begins with Eric Swan on the phone to the Department of Social Security (DSS), to inform them that his lodger Norman has passed away and to cancel all of his benefit payments.
Except there’s one problem. Norman has just walked down the stairs.
It seems Eric has not been very honest since losing his job two years ago, neither to his wife, nor the DSS, who he has found himself in a snowballing benefits fraud scheme against, cashing cheques on behalf of lodgers he has invented.
Despite his best efforts to get himself out, payment schemes have become increasingly complicated, and so too has the web of lies needed to cover them up.
A routine visit from a DSS inspector causes a chain reaction of disaster, where endless unexpected visitors, mistaken identities, and embroiled perpetrators make this one tangled web to unweave.
Steven Pinder delivers an excellent turn as Eric, as does James Bradshaw as Norman Bassett, his lodger turned accidental co-conspirator. The central relationship between this pair relies on strong comedic performances, which the two provide and then some.
I also loved Harry Gostelow as Mr Jenkins, the DSS Inspector desperately trying to do his job with increased desperation and a brilliant physical denouement that deserved the applause it got.
Every player in this comedy of errors gets it spot on. The complexity of mistaken identities asks for a huge level of comedic dexterity from this excellent ensemble, but they handle it with ease, which is no small feat.
Trying to follow who knows what in this madcap comedy is hard enough as an audience member, let alone for actors trying to remember which thread of identity they are encountering at any given moment. But it’s so slick, so seamless and so enjoyable.
That is probably my favourite thing about the production, witnessing the tight reins these performances need to grip in trying to keep hold of all the threads of lies. The increasing stress (and comedy) that comes from situations that go from bad to worse is just a joy to watch.
I confess, I did find some of the writing a bit dated – are we really still doing a “crossdressing” gag in 2026…? – and some of the jokes don’t land perhaps as they were intended. I was surprised to learn the play was only written in 1996, as some of the references and character archetypes feel more out of the 1970s than only 30 years ago.
For how incredible The Mill’s last production of ‘My Fair Lady’ was (reflected in an endless stream of award nominations) I can’t help but feel this production is possibly a step back from the course that new direction might have set in terms of pushing boundaries.
That being said, the show enjoys some big laughs from The Mill’s audience, and deservedly so.
This madcap comedy gets more ridiculous by the second and offers a thoroughly enjoyable night of theatre. If you want a fun night filled with doors slamming, secrets spilling and a rogues’ gallery of outrageous characters, I recommend you get yourself down to The Mill at Sonning.
‘Cash on Delivery’ runs at The Mill at Sonning until Saturday 4 April. Tickets are available now and can be purchased at millatsonning.com.
