'The Ladykillers' at The Geilgud Theatre

Last week we went to see 'The Ladykillers', a stage version of the old film with Alec Guinness. It's a grand old British thriller comedy with a little old lady at the centre being taken in by a group of thieves who rob a train at Kings Cross. The comedy comes from hiding their real natures and purpose from the little old lady, nick-named Mrs Lopsided by one of the thieves because she lives n a lopsided house near Kings Cross that is affected by subsidence. One by one they try to kill her and one by one they fail. Of course.

This is a great, fun and ever so slightly daft play with a great cast and set and some lovely self-knowing jokes. The main set is Mrs Lopsided's house with every door and wall at an odd angle to reflect the subsidence and the house turns round a few times so we see outside. My favourite outside view was for the daring robbery enacted by toy cars on the wall of the house, very unexpected and very daft.

Marcia Warren plays Mrs Wilberforce (aka Mrs Lopsided) with great aplomb, a moral and principled lady born in the Victorian era and living through two World Wars with the sad quality of trusting people she doesn't really know. Peter Capaldi plays Professor Marcus, the Alec Guinness character, who rents a room in Mrs Wilberforce's lopsided house as the perfect cover for the perfect crime. He plays the role to a T, beguiling and smiling, wrapped round with a huge scarf and relentlessly taking advantage of his victim. James Fleet plays the posh criminal with a penchant for wearing lady's dresses and Clive Rowe is excellent as One-Round who creates the name Mrs Lopsided and is the muscle in the gang. I also liked Stephen Wright as the likely lad either too up on blues or too down on reds and who likes cleaning furniture.

This is one of those rare plays that makes me smile throughout and every now and then break into a broad grin and a chuckle. I enjoyed it. Immensely. If you have a few hours spare and happen to be on Shaftesbury Avenue then this is the place to spend them.