A Brush With The Law
Alan Lindfield
Genre: Thriller
Cast size: 6
Duration: 35 mins approx
Alan Lindfield | Comedic Thriller | One Act | 2m, 2f, 2m/f
Short synopsis
- Synopsis
- Characters
Anna Benson, an art student, introduces her boyfriend to her father, Derek, who runs a somewhat run down antiques shop although his wife describes him as a dealer in fine art. Derek is a retired Army Officer who started in the ranks and worked his way up. He is a man of few words, but given to use military expressions. He also has a drink problem. His wife Daphne, is a snob and social climber of the first order, who prefers to give the impression that Derek was born into the officer class. Pietro, the boyfriend, is a decorator but due to a misunderstanding, coupled with her snobbishness, Daphne believes he is an artist. Daphne invites Pietro to what proves to be a very confusing lunch.
Meanwhile, the local police, in the form of the uncultured, bumbling Detective Constable Mills, are looking for someone who has been selling paintings in local pubs claiming them to be valuable when in fact they are forgeries. Anna works as a barmaid in one of those pubs, which happens to be called The Gallery, and which is also a regular meeting place for Anna and her fellow art students. This leads to further confusion as Daphne thinks they are referring to an art gallery whenever it is mentioned. Derek, unbeknown to his wife, also sometimes frequent the Gallery, taking advantage of his daughter’s position to get cheap drinks. At the end of the garden at the house is a shed which Daphne pretentiously insists on calling the studio, and where Anna and Pietro often go in order to escape Daphne’s eagle eye, leading DC Mills to believe that Pietro is an art forger operating from the premises. Interference by Daphne, coupled to her complete misunderstanding of the situation, lead the inept police officer to raid the house in a tense and even more confused conclusion.
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