DON'T go to Noël Coward's Present Laughter at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, if you're expecting to see a subtle comedy of manners.
But if you're not averse to watching a somewhat rip-roaring affair, led by the raucous Rik Mayall then you may not be too disappointed.
Think Noël Coward wearing Doc Marten boots and dishing out a kick in the pants, think slapstick, but don't think toned-down.
OK, that could well be the most implausible, and downright irreverent, description of a Noël Coward play, but it seems the most apt way of summing up the opening night.
It's not that the proceedings were unamusing, the evening was just incredibly surreal.
Mayall, as the ever-excitable Garry Essendine leads the mayhem with his trademark rowdiness and kept Monday night's audience laughing right up till the end.
And that was quite an achievement, given the two intervals and late finish - the car park scrum kicked off closer to 11 pm than the usual 10-15 pm.
A strong supporting cast undoubtedly helped keep the order of the play and hold the show on the right side of sanity.
Caroline Harker as Liz Essendine and Pooky Quesnel as Monica were exceptional. Both managed to command Coward's dry satirical script, and lent an elegance to the production.
Mayall needs a balance to his performance and it was provided by the rest of the cast.
The balance was only in danger of being thrown off-kilter by William Mannering as the deranged fan Roland Maule.
That level of overacting simply could not stand up against the formidable force of Mayall.
All in all it would be easy to leave the theatre feeling more than a little shellshocked.
It is Coward, but not as we know him.
Jenny Clarke