There is something about the New York accents, done better here than in most amateur theatre, which lends itself to effulgence. Nevertheless the tone was ever so slightly off, the family was awkward and wacky, rather than adorably eccentric, and the jokes began to grate through repetition. Much may be attributed to first night nerves, and the (inevitable) technical kinks were handled with professionalism, although they did gain more giggles than most of the jokes. Which was precisely the issue; though the acting was very good, the comic timing seemed slightly off, with not enough lingering over the phrases designed to get laughs. The panache did however increase in the third act as the cast appeared to gain confidence, and the play ended well.

A reason why the play didn’t quite hit the mark was the inexact temporal location. The play is supposed to be set in the 1930s, but hair and costume ranged from the 1900s to the 1960s, and this lack of contextualisation often left Penny’s references to sex falling flat. One directorial change, however, which did work very well was the gender change of Grandma Vanderhof from male to female, giving the moral authority of the piece an older woman’s voice, a transition which was virtually seamless.

The romantic relationship at the centre of the play was less convincing, although both actors were very good in their roles. The lack of physical closeness, the missing small aside glances, and the implication of a secret world shared by these two to which only they were privy, made the whole thing seem extremely staged. Although the play is a farce, this relationship needed to be convincing as it represents the jeopardy of the plot. The audience has to care about Tony Kirby and Alice Sycamore if they are to truly invest in the resolution of the story and I just didn’t. This went for the wider family as well; they entertained us awhile but I felt no connection with them.

That is not to say that it wasn't a good production, nor a successful rendering of the play. It was almost there – there were just a few aspects meaning it did not quite click as it was designed to, some of which can, in all fairness, be attributed to 1930s jokes being somewhat lost on a modern audience. It was not a slick rendering but it was an earnest one, and cannot be denied its own peculiar charm.