Readers of a certain age may remember a popular TV action programme of the 1970s. Return Of The Saint is perhaps most loved for its opening credits, a blend of rip roaring theme tune and a stick man precursor to Who Framed Roger Rabbit which you can access to this day at the bottom of this page. If you are older still you may have a Harry Hill-esque view on which is better, Return Of The Saint or the series it spawned from (‘The Saint’, as you might have surmised).
So where am I going with this? Well almost 40 years on Return Of The Saint is still Ian Ogilvy’s best known role. And Ian is the director of the farce Swap which will be featuring at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre from Tuesday 19 to Saturday 23 of this month. Brian Flowers and his wife Susan arrive at their house swapping summer vacation in Spain, only to discover they’ve unknowingly traded houses with a British gangster. The mess gets bigger and the clean-up gets sillier as ex-girlfriends, twin brothers and dead bodies all start piling up in this hilarious farce.
Swap has recently begun a run in the UK under the auspices of talking Scarlet productions. Previously it had been staged in Poland for three years. So what could be more topical than a Polish import, and given the Brexit fallout has been almost farcical at times what better than a true farce in the majestic surroundings of the Grand Theatre to indulge in some pure escapism.
The production stars Kim Tiddy (Hollyoaks, The Bill) and Freya Copeland (Holby City, Emmerdale, The Bill). Performances start at 7.30pm, with matinees on Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm. Tickets are priced from £14.50, with £2 off for concessions. Schools rate is £12.50, not available Friday or Saturday, though the subject matter is of course not necessarily suitable for all children.
For more information or to book tickets visit www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk
