Of Women and Horses I Have Known

A story about a foul-mouthed lady addicted to pills and horse racing sounds both fascinating and odd. Add an awkward husband, a mother from the 'old world', a slightly ditzy foreign maid, and we have an enjoyably hellish family reunion. Yet here it goes wrong – maybe there’s too much insight, perhaps certain jokes are still private and unlikely to make a room full of strangers giggle.

There is some amusing physical comedy and a few funny lines, but nothing is particularly affecting. The play is never tedious and the cast exudes energy and likeability, but their narrative is lost between the pointless fretting and comic clichés, moving in too many directions without reaching a destination.