Carrot creates the truth in new play

The Cock And Tail Inn is a new stage comedy devised by Nick Green and John Scott Cobb for Driftwood Theatre Productions.

It runs from May 18-21 and May 25-28 at The Barcelo Ship Hotel, The Tudor Rooms,

31-38 Kings Road, Brighton, offering an invitation to travel back to the mid-1970s.

In the south west of England is The Cock And Tail Inn, a remote working men’s pub, unwelcoming to strangers, a place where all the dysfunctional regulars meander along at their usual pace of life until its oldest regular Spider comes a cropper after eating one of Barry’s pickled eggs.

Shortly afterwards, the trivial worlds of the pub’s regulars are thrown into turmoil. Spider’s only surviving daughter, the stunning Pamela, makes a surprise appearance announcing her father has left one of them something in his will. She has the daunting task of deciding which one of them deserves it.

Brummie, Vince and preacher Ollie, plus barmaid Jess and comic landlord Barry, wage bets with ‘big softie’, Mike, that they are likely to receive an inheritance.

As the story unravels they compete to show Pamela their worth. Friendships are tested, and funny bones in the closet are revealed, says writer John who is also the show’s co-director.

“With the carrot dangled in front of them, they show their true feelings to each other, which creates a lot of comedy.”

The reason for setting it all in the 1970s was also to add to the comedy, a great era of British ales with Worthington E and Double Diamond: “It also adds a touch of humour in the way that they dressed, the facial hair and the elaborate hair-dos. It’s all tongue in cheek with a lot of corny music and all the 70s fashions that are quite amusing but are actually quite trendy now.

“We feel it is going to be a great success. There is a lot of interest in it already. The actors are still cracking up at the script. We are hoping to make a film of it or perhaps a spin-off series. We are still toying with ideas. Or we might try to take it to Edinburgh or to London.”

Driftwood Productions is a film and stage production company based in Brighton. They are currently filming The Last Teardrop, The Short Stories Of Brecht and two film screenplays for 2012 release.