Black comedy full of funny one-liners

Having been a fan of the Reform Theatre Company for many years I was looking forward to their latest production and I was not disappointed.

Thick As Thieves written by Nottingham-born Mark Whiteley, at the Palace Theatre, Newark, told the story of two hapless robbers on a job.

Directed at a fast pace by Keith Hukin, this black comedy never had a dull moment, and there was plenty to laugh about, especially in the funny, classic one-liners.

Kivan Dene was excellent as the military-precise Steph Aston, who called all the shots, having everything done when he wanted it doing.

He barked out orders, showing what a hard man he really was — until everything started to go wrong. He was great at doing impersonations.

Matthew Booth was wonderful as the dippy Barry Ireland, who seemed a little short in the brains department and happened to be one of the unluckiest burglars ever.

He showed he had a soft spot for animals, especially singing to a dead budgie in the house and wanting to give it a proper burial.

The rapport between the two was fantastic and the comic timing was spot-on.

The play is cleverly written and is one of the funniest things I have seen all year — DAB.