All the elements are there - tall, cranky hotel manager, dodgy guests - and even a token foreigner (although this one is French).

Set in a country hotel, The Bull and Cow, managed by a constantly bickering couple who like to think they are wealthier than they are, complete with useless country-bumpkin maid and charming, poetic daughter, the play delights all with its inoffensive slapstick, cases of mistaken identity and overblown romance.

Scheming but clumsy and loveable trio Mr Tubbe, his "valet" Fred and their friend Flash Harry - played by Pete Bagley, Phil Quinn and James Wolstenholme - steal the show with their wonderfully comic facial expressions and movements on stage.

Outraged French jockey Polignac, played by David Draper, also provides many laughs, although his French accent could be improved.

The play, directed by Wendy Anderson, is like watching comforting re-runs of sitcoms before reality television was invented and it had the audience in hysterics. Not one to be missed. Sundari Sankar
Verdict: predictable but hilarious