The fact that this 1936 comedy remains extremely funny today testifies to the craftsmanship of playwrights Kaufman and Hart.

An unorthodox New York family is headed by Grandfather, who has opted out of society and declared himself dead to avoid paying taxes.

The rest of this eccentric household includes his daughter, who writes plays only because a typewriter was once delivered to her by mistake, a son-in-law obsessed with making fireworks and his granddaughter, an aspiring ballerina who dances around the house at the drop of a tutu.

The addition of a few more oddball characters created a disastrous environment for the only sane member, Alice, to introduce her fiancé and his straight-laced family.

The production took a little while to settle down, but once into its stride the laughs came fast.

Overall the direction was good, moving the plot along at a strong pace, though at times the clarity of diction suffered.

There were some exceptional performances, particularly Roley Petts as Grandfather.

It was a complete performance with impeccable comic timing.

Further accomplished acting came from Amy White, Justin Finn and the consistently excellent Louise Yeo.