The bright green walls of the Doctors’ Common Room at St. Andrew’s hospital were indication enough that a comedy was in the offering. But they could not possibly have foretold the extent of the hilarious bedlam that was to follow. It was the scene of action from the farcial comedy It Runs in the Family, staged in Lahore recently.

Co-directed by Omair Rana and Waleed Zaidi, the play was an uproarious case of mistaken identities that had the audience laughing out loud for its entire duration.

The production was a tribute to the late Shade Hussain. A mentor and friend, Shade Hussain continues to be a source of inspiration for all those whose lives she touched. The simple montage that preceded the play beautifully expressed the love and respect memories of her evoke. Her heart would have swelled with pride if she had been in the audience at Alhamra. First performed under her tutelage nine years ago, It Runs in the Family was a theatrical venture put together in the short span of three weeks.

A ‘pompous twit’, Dr David Mortimer, is at the centre of the script by British playwright Ray Cooney. The plot follows the luckless Mortimer as he frenetically tries to prevent his well-settled life from unraveling over the course of a single day.

The play begins with our self-important neurologist, played by Omair Rana, attempting to rehearse a career-defining lecture for a prestigious physicians’ conference. Enter Mortimer’s old flame Nurse Tate, and all his dreams of knighthood threaten to evaporate into thin air.

There is utter chaos as Mortimer tries to swallow the news that he has an eighteen-year-old son who is intent on meeting his long-unknown father. "If you are going to tell a lie, tell a whopper!" becomes Mortimer’s plan of action as he desperately spins one false story after another to befuddle the rest of the characters populating the story.

Confusion reigns supreme as the doctor’s wife, Jane Tate, his son, and colleagues try to connect the dots between all the explanations floating around.

Doors are flung open repeatedly as multiple characters enter and exit the Common Room at will. Soon running short of ingenuity, Mortimer is forced to make a plea for help to his friend, Dr Hubert Bonney, in confounding the police sergeant who is looking to slap drunk-driving charges on the easily agitated young Leslie.

The house Matron’s palpable dislike for Mortimer and the presence of a shrewd old man further ensure that Mortimer and Hubert literally hop from one damning situation to the next.

Nothing makes sense and nobody appears convinced in this farcical comedy. The whirlwind of comical missteps comes to an end with Hubert, and his mother, welcoming Leslie and Jane into their family. The self-centred Mortimer is, against all odds, given a second chance at his marriage, knighthood, and not to mention, his sanity.

Insanely hilarious is how some in the crowd might have described the play. Agreed that the plot provided a solid foundation over which the actors were able to recreate a compelling theatrical experience. But it was the flawless comic timing of the entire cast that had the audience in stitches.

As an ode to Shade Hussain’s passion for theatre, the play brought together some of the original cast from the 2005 production with a few new faces.

Though the older cast had the benefit of having been associated with the play earlier, effortless acting stood out as the defining characteristic of the latest production. Despite the events unfolding on stage being ludicrous to say the least, the acting achieved the delicate balance of being true to character without lapsing into stereotyping.

Omair Rana as the calculating Mortimer and Ian Eldred as his bumbling friend Hubert were without a doubt the stars of the show. Mortimer’s hoity-toity wife Rosemary was ably characterised by the petite Karen David. Daud Randle’s imperious Sir Drake found its perfect foil in Harris Alam Khan’s portrayal of the half-batty, half-astute old Bill. However, the newer additions to the cast of It Runs in the Family might soon be giving them a run for their money on the stage. Those who watched the 2005 production were all praises for the new team. Sanwal Tariq’s turn as the highly emotional punk Leslie was simply brilliant. Sana Jafri as the stern Matron was part of some of the funniest scenes of the play. Waleed Zaidi and Seerat Jafri’s cameos as Dr Connolly and Sister/Bonney’s mother were also commendable. Mehar Bano Jaral’s Jane Tate was a story unto herself.

This story of improbable events would not have been such a laugh riot without the ingeniously designed set by Zain Adil. The minuscule set beyond the window and through which the action on the ledge was viewed was very well crafted and contributed to the outlandish hilarity of the action taking place in the main room. The director’s note hoped that the audience would fall off their seats laughing. The team of It Runs in the Family sustained that momentum for the entire duration of the play as the viewers roared with laughter at the antics of Mortimer and co. The fact that every person in the crowd, without exception, bought a ticket to watch a comedy in Lahore is a reason to smile in itself and would have made Shade Hussain very happy.