ISLAMABAD, Dec 9: Theatre lovers of Islamabad were served to a delightful night of entertainment with the enactment of the play Out of Order, at the Islamabad club, last night. From the lighting, to the cast, the screenplay, the play was a product of the Dramatics Society of Westminster School, in its entirety.

The play was originally a work of Ray Cooney, who was an English playwright, well known for his sarcastic and humorous manner of mocking 20th century British society.

Out of Order is set in 1991, in Westminster hotel and captures a night of disorder, when the lead protagonist Richard Whiley, a Cabinet Minister, takes on a reckless romantic adventure with one of the secretaries, Jane Worthington. The show that follows is a two hour ride ridden with utter confusion and chaos, which is characteristic of most comical theatre plays staged in town.

The night runs into disaster, when the two find a dead body in the hotel room. Cases of mistaken identities take place as there is a constant exchange of characters going in and out. As the story unfolds the audience realises that the dead body is not actually dead and each character is trying to dupe the other to save their own self.

The characters are typical of the era that the play had captured; a comical and obnoxious waiter, a betrayed and furious husband, an attractive and “blond” secretary and an angry and interfering manager.

The audience that mainly consisted of youngsters was actively involved and was generous in its appreciation and applause.

The overall concept was a mockery of high society Parliamentarian lifestyle of the time, much like most farcical comedies.

The theme of adultery is not a new one on stage, however to be enacted by a group of teenagers can be considered as something radical.

“It was wonderful to see young children of today perform with such confidence on stage. We must encourage them,” said one of the ladies in the audience, whose daughter was part of the backstage team.

The lighting and the background music were quite well carried out. At times the situations became predictable but then there were sudden outbursts of humour, which usually took the viewers by surprise.

The acting was quite commendable, considering the age group of the performers was in the bracket of 14 to 18 years.  All in all, the play was a satisfying way of spending a Saturday winter evening. The most admirable factor was that the entire team except for the Director, Salma Mir, consisted of high school students.

It was an evening well spent for anyone who appreciates and encourages budding talent of the country and particularly in fields such as the performing arts which have been quite neglected and sidelined by the previous generation.