15/06/2026
๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ค๐๐ฌ ๐
๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ฌ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ ๐
๐ฅ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ ๐๐ข๐ง - Preview
โญ By Jove! These masters of comedy have done it again! โญ
Running at Haslemere Hall from 18โ20 June, ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ฃ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ถ๐ต๐ฆ ๐๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ is one of the funniest shows weโve had the pleasure to see. From the people behind last year's superb ๐๐ฎ๐ฎ๐ข๐ค๐ถ๐ญ๐ข๐ต๐ฆ and the wildly-popular annual pantomimes, this is a company that knows its strength lies in the character and comedy skills of its talented cast.
Based on characters from Sheridan's classic ๐๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐๐ช๐ท๐ข๐ญ๐ด and written by Richard Bean (๐๐ฏ๐ฆ ๐๐ข๐ฏ, ๐๐ธ๐ฐ ๐๐ถ๐ท๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด), the action takes place during the summer of 1940. Pilot Officer Jack Absolute returns to RAF Fontwell after an aerial dogfight to discover that Lydia Languish, the woman he once loved, has unexpectedly arrived on the base. Determined to win her back, Jack launches a campaign of romantic manoeuvres โ mirroring the messy dogfights in the air - that quickly spiral into confusion, misunderstanding and outright chaos.
The show revels in its variety of its comedy. Mrs Malaprop's wonderfully mangled language delivers a constant stream of wordplay, while Jack's increasingly elaborate schemes generate layers of farce and mistaken identity. Elsewhere, nervous romantics, overconfident pilots, mischievous servants and eccentric authority figures all contribute their own unique flavour of humour.
Then thereโs slapstick, character comedy, visual gags, callback, funny costumes, verbal misunderstandings, audience interaction and enough comic confusion to keep the whole thing airborne for two hours!
Yet the play is more than a collection of punchlines. Beneath the laughter lies a surprisingly warm story about friendship, love and the peculiar circumstances that arise when people from very different backgrounds find themselves thrown together during wartime โ as Sir Anthony puts it โWar throws the classes togetherโ.
The production also makes ambitious use of Haslemere Hall itself. Rather than confining the action to the stage, the company spreads across a vast playing area incorporating much of the hall floor. The result is a production that feels both intimate and epic at the same time, drawing the audience into the action while giving the performers plenty of room for the larger-than-life comic set pieces that the script demands.
Most importantly, however, ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ฃ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ถ๐ต๐ฆ ๐๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ never forgets its primary mission: to entertain.
Whether it's discussions about shooting down the wrong aeroplanes, stomach-challenging debates about the nature of true love, patriotic devotion to decorative bunting, or one unforgettable comic moment involving livestock in a basket, the show consistently finds new ways to surprise its audience.
If you enjoy sharp wordplay, larger-than-life characters and fast-moving farce, ๐๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ฃ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ถ๐ต๐ฆ ๐๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ should be high on your list this week.
๐๐ข๐ค๐ฌ ๐๐ฃ๐ด๐ฐ๐ญ๐ถ๐ต๐ฆ ๐๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐๐จ๐ข๐ช๐ฏ runs at Haslemere Hall from 18โ20 June.
Tickets: https://www.haslemerehall.co.uk/sales/genres/theatre/jack-absolute-flies-again
Previewed full rehearsal performance on 14 June 2026. Thanks to Haslemere Thespians for the invitation.
