FOR their autumn play, the Canterbury Players presented Dave Freeman’s farce Kindly keep it Covered.

Thanks to director, Ann Robinson, it is one of the best productions they have done recently.

Without exception, each character is distinctive and all make use of body language and facial expression as well as well timed language and movement. Well done!

The play is set in a health farm, established by Roland and Julia Dickerby using insurance money from the death of Julia’s first husband, Sidney.

The only problem is that Sidney is still alive and his re-appearance causes great alarm as he uses a set of mistaken identities to get by.

Arthur Hulse is a star as Sidney as he quickly makes up excuses and creates new characters to cover his tracks.

Roland and Julia are played by experienced actors Colin Baker and Debbie Dickerson. Their responses to events are excellent, especially when they discover that the wife of the insurance company’s fraud investigator (Caroline Mears) has come to stay.

One of the funniest characters is Hooper, a young fogey played by Colin Ludden who is suspected of stealing the police jazz band’s supper because he can’ t exist on the health farm’s carrot and celery.

His ‘crime’ is investigated by the eccentric Police Sergeant Campbell, one of the smallest parts, enacted hilariously by Lindsey Andrews.

Both husbands suffer from the tongue of the mother-in-law from hell, Mags Johnston.

This play has all the ingredients of farce with lots of rushing about but Kindly is the name of the Insurance Company which covers Sidney’s life so there is no hanky panky under the bed clothes as the title might suggest,

That doesn’t mean there are no laughs. There are plenty, some of which are quite naughty.

It’s a credit to all concerned and that goes for the backstage staff, too.

The play, which has now finished, was at Brook Road Methodist Church until November 18. Star rating: * * * * *