‘Funny Money’: A farce by Ray Cooney

Ray Cooney’s ‘Funny Money’, a riotous and hilarious farce directed by Abbasali Rozais will be staged at the Lionel Wendt Theatre, Guildford Crescent, Colombo 7 on the nights of 22, 23 and 24 March 2013 at 7.30 p.m. The play is being produced by special arrangement with Samuel French UK and had an incredibly successful run in the West End in London. With a superb cast full of wit and energy, the performance is sure to be a treat.

Henry A. Perkins, a mild mannered accountant, accidentally picks up the wrong briefcase on the tube ride home from work. It’s full of money. Henry assumes it is illicit cash and decides to keep it. Knowing that the former owner must have his briefcase and thus his contact details, he rushes home to book one way tickets to Barcelona for himself and his wife.

He tells his confused wife to leave everything behind; if she doesn’t like Barcelona they can go to Bali, in fact, with the cash Henry’s found, they can buy Bali. The doorbell rings as they wait for their taxi. The police detective at the door wants to speak to Henry and accuses him of soliciting in the men’s room of the local pub, when in fact Henry was sitting in the loo counting the cash.

The bell rings again. It’s another detective, who has come to inform Mrs. Perkins that her husband is dead. Murdered. Two bullet holes to the head, clutching his briefcase in the Thames. Henry’s inept attempts to extricate himself from the impossible situation lead to increasingly hysterical situations. Will he make it to Barcelona? But before that, how will he manage to get out of his own house? Find out at the Lionel Wendt on 22, 23 and 24 March 2013.

The cast comprises of both experienced veterans and some new faces too. A list of the cast in order of appearance follows: Jean Perkins – Sanwada Dharmasena, Henry Perkins – Indu Dharmasena, Detective Davenport – Zainul Meeadh, Bill the taxi driver – Chalana Wijesuriya, Betty Johnson – Sanjula Amarasekara, Vic Johnson – Abbasali Rozais and Detective Slater – Yasal Ruhunage. The play is produced and directed by Abbasali Rozais who has nearly a decade of experience in theatre. He has written and produced his own plays such as Presidents, Promiscuity & Pineapples (2010/2011) and Clueless (2005), which have received critical acclaim.