Nobody's Fool

Reviewed by Sue Ellis of the Eckington Leader

Nobody's Fool

The shy and timid Lenny (Mike Parkinson-Brown), an un-willingly divorced statistician, hides a secret from the outside world.

Lenny has an alter ego, writhing under the female pseudonym, Myrtle Banbury, he is a best selling romantic author who shares a house with his father, ladies man and technical wizard Gus (Phillip Hadley), and his teenage daughter Dee Dee (Cheryl Hardy).

In this sequel to Simon Williams' 'Nobody's Perfect', Lenny finds himself with the problem of how to conduct an interview on television with pushy interviewer Leticia Butters (Margaret Thompson) who is insisting that Myrtle appears live alongside Lenny on her show.

Interspersed with sorting out this problem, there is the added complication of Lenny's ex wife Fran (Carole Wilkinson), who popped in and out of the family's life letting the cat out of the bag concerning a few secrets of her own, and of her daughter, and in whose presence Lenny becomes ever more acutely shy.

With the aid of modern technology, Gus and Dee Dee attempt to solve the problem of how to avoid Lenny having to appear in drag in front of many millions of TV viewers; and exercise which will surely result in mayhem.

This very funny play is well suited to the talents of the City Players, with all the actors displaying their excellent comic timing and ability to realistically interpret their respective characters and to interact with each other.

Nobody's Fool

The highlight of the play comes in the second act with the appearance of Myrtle- an hilarious performance which had the audience in stitches.

Complementing the performances was the set; designed to represent the two storeys of the family home, which enabled the performers to move easily and realistically between the lounge and basement – thereby allowing the secrets to allow hidden from the performers, if not the audience.

Another thoroughly enjoyable production from the City Players, 'Nobody's Fool' continues its run at the Corner Playhouse until Saturday, February 12.


Ellis, Susan. "Myrtle steals the show". Eckington Leader, Feb 2011. Print.