CHRISTOPHER SMITH The Assembly House, Norwich

CHRISTOPHER SMITH

The Assembly House, Norwich

Not really half so naughty as the title suggests, this com-edy of present-day life by Richard Harris and Leslie Darbon gets a lot of laughs out of this hard-boiled, soft-centred study of two men from different generations being wrong-footed by the women in their lives.

Perpetually worried as he goes from one improbable excuse to the next over- ingenious explanation, Noel Jones captures the tragic farce of the middle-aged professional who fancies one last fling. Myles Hague has youth, cheek and a bluffer's familiarity with psychology.

Tricia Mathieson and Amy Michaels are the female side of the equation, with Elizabeth Patient as the agony aunt who does her best to upset the balance.

The Great Hall Players' arena-style production works well with the portrayal of ordinary people doing their best to misbehave. Directors Malcolm Robinson and Zanna Foley Davis know how to bring out the mirror effect of two situations.

At the end comes the inevitable final twist - or rather pair of twists - or perhaps even more. Nobody is quite certain what is going on except the audience who look on and giggle.