Sewell Barn Theatre present us with a wide range of different dramas in their regular production output. Their last show, Foxfinder, had a rather grim theme to it, but this show could not be more different. Charley’s Aunt is cheerful farce that has been around for a while having been first performed in 1892.

It is a romantic comedy with a gloriously simple plot. Oxford undergraduates Charley Wykeham (Jamie Radcliffe) is expecting a visit from his aunt who long ago married a Brazilian millionaire but is now widowed. His pal Jack Chesney (Jeremiah Humphreys-Piercy) and he have fallen in love with a pair of girls who are about to be swept away to a bleak summer retreat in Scotland. They plan to invite the girls to tea using the aunt as a chaperone to observe social niceties. Their pal Lord Fancourt Babberley, aka Fanny Babs (Barney Matley) enters the scene just as the boys learn that their aunt has been delayed. Fanny is about to rehearse an amateur dramatic show dressed as a lady, long story short he is drafted in against his will to substitute for the errant aunt.

In this joyful farce the rules are simple – toffs are poor so must marry money, romance to proposal timing is about half an hour and the lasses just hang around waiting to be asked. Throw in Jack’s father Colonel Sir Francis Chesney (Jonathan Cooke) and Kitty and Amy’s guardian Stephen Spettigue (Kevin Oelrichs) and then into the mix comes the real aunt Lucia (Emma Steggles) and her companion Ela Delahay (Amelia Watson) who just happens to have the hots for Fanny Babs when he is not in drag. Confused? You really won’t be, although you might fall off your chair laughing as joke after joke is poured out with some great slapstick from Charley and Jack. Will Kitty Verdun (Florence Bates) and Amy Spettigue (Rachel Carney) get their men? All will be revealed but the path to true love is strewn with mishaps and setbacks. The rumoured millions of the real Lucia prove to be an unavoidable marriage draw to Chesney senior and old Spettigue who throw themselves at the hapless Fanny.
Observing proceedings is the rather jaded manservant Brassett (Jamie Willimot) who is given some of the best one-line scene setting quips. Director Cassie Tillett has got the pace just right, and told me about the infectious fun of the script and the enthusiasm of this lively cast. I hope we will see some of the younger cast members spreading their wings into professional production, they really are very capable. Written over 130 years ago the themes of this play remain timeless, even if some of the social mores have moved on a bit. In this performance nothing seems dated and the costumes are beautiful.

Charley’s Aunt has lasted all these years as a popular show because it is well written, gentle and very funny. With frequent asides to the audience it will always work better as live theatre, although there have been many film versions and derivations and even a panto version. This cast add so much to the script, though. They are confident and have perfect timing in a fast moving play. If you can find a ticket make sure you don’t miss this terrific show.

© Julian Swainson
Norwich Eye
12th July 2025

Charley’s Aunt by Sewell Barn Theatre is at 7.30pm 10-12 and 16-19 July 2025, with a matinée at 2.30 on 19 July. Go to www.sewellbarn.org for tickets and more information.