Theatre / The Lovebirds, written by Basil Thomas, directed by Jon Elphick. At Belconnen Community Theatre, until June 7. Reviewed by LEN POWER.

When a newly married couple is given a budgie as a wedding present, what happens when the bird is found to be possessed by the spirit of the bride’s late first husband?

This delightfully silly comedy, first produced in the UK in 1957, is the work of prolific author, Basil Thomas. Tempo also successfully staged another of his plays, Book of the Month, in 2023.

The complex plot gives the cast of 11 (plus budgie) the opportunity to present a group of colourful characters struggling with ever wilder and funnier situations.

Bradley Jones and Eloise Willis play Bertie and Julie Skidmore, the newly married couple. Both performers display good comic timing as well as clear characterisations of a couple in love.

Their struggle to regain control over the havoc caused by the budgie is very amusing. George Bellibassakis gives voice to the budgie with great expression from offstage.

The rest of the large cast shine in their individual roles. There are two small roles that proved to be particularly memorable and a gift to the actors playing them. Kim Wilson is a hilarious French professor Gaston Cheval and Eilis French is a standout as the very funny Russian, Natasha. She was given a well-deserved round of applause after her brief appearance.

Director Elphick ensures the show is lively throughout. The staging of the chaos at the end is particularly well done.

These types of comedy plays mostly disappeared from London stages and moved to television with the arrival of realistic dramas such as Look Back In Anger in the 1950s. 

The nearly full opening night of The Lovebirds showed that there is an audience in Canberra for this type of play and Tempo Theatre is giving it to them.

Lovebirds haunted by a possessed budgie with a past