Once Bitten - Le Proces Veauradieux

Fauvinard is a Parisian barrister with no work to speak of, whose formidable mother-in-law noses shamelessly into both his private and business affairs

He and his colleague Tardivaut fabricate a case to create an alibi for their extra-marital affairs

It transpires that both their mistresses live in the same apartment block, and that, unknown to them, Tardivaut’s mistress, Zizi, is also involved with Fauvinard’s lecherous and narcoleptic uncle

Fauvinard’s mistress Césarine, meanwhile, appears to be an accomplice in a jewellery robbery

When Fauvinard does land a case of his own, his client, who is seeking a divorce, turns out to be the wife of another of Césarine’s lovers

Add a vengeful maid, a vicious, man-hating poodle and a bone-headed Police Commissioner, and Reggie Oliver’s adaptation of the 1875 French farce Le Procès Veauradieux reaches hilarious heights of brilliantly controlled mayhem

M5, F6 or 7 - Two simple settings

“ ... an absolute riot” ~ Charles Spencer, Daily Telegraph

“A happy marriage between ignominious indignity and sheer dramatic elegance” ~ Sam Marlowe, The Times

“A dotty delight” ~ Paul Taylor, Independent