Skios, the Greek island home of the Fred
Toppler Foundation and destination of Dr Norman Wilfred, eminent scholar,
booked to deliver the prestigious annual lecture to the great and the good
gathered there.
Skios, also the destination of Oliver Fox,
feckless philanderer, for an illicit assignation with the gorgeous Georgie in a
luxury villa borrowed from a friend of a friend.
Skios Airport, where the confusion begins:
first, Dr Wilfred and Oliver Fox have identical suitcases; second, Oliver eyes
the ‘discretely tanned, discretely blonde’ Nikki Hook holding up the sign to
welcome Dr Wilfred and he just can’t resist the opportunity for a free ride
from the airport, probably a free meal, and possibly more besides. Particularly
as Georgie is delayed.
Dr Wilfred is left with no luggage and no
limo, but it is not all bad as Oliver’s taxi, the luxury villa and Georgie
(back on schedule) have become available.
Frayn’s capacity for farce in theatre
(Noises Off) and cinema (Clockwise) translates well into the written word as he
skilfully keeps all the plates spinning as characters enter and exit foundation
and villa, with two Greek taxi drivers, brothers Stavros and Spiros, providing
the necessary, if largely unremunerated, shuttle service.
It’s clever and funny, but Frayn provides
some food for thought through Dr Wilfred’s belief (well tested here) in cause
and effect; and in his realisation that not being Dr Wilfred is not all bad.
The read is light but fairly breathless as
events hurtle towards a finale full of possibilities. Dr Wilfred would argue
they are probabilities based on cause and effect, but would have to concede
that this ending is at the lower end of the bell curve.
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