Roo Theatre, Shellharbour

Friday until October 18

Tickets here.

When Nick Higgins is on stage, he sometimes has a hard time focusing on his lines.

Such is life when you're balancing directing and performing duties, as he's doing for his latest production It Runs In the Family.

"It's been a challenge as you really can't give your full attention to both jobs," he said.

"I find I'll be looking at people on stage and I'll start thinking 'Oh, I need to move that piece of set, that door needs painting, I really need to talk to someone about that light' and then they're waiting for me to deliver my lines, it can be a bit difficult."

The show is a bit of a homecoming for Higgins, who starred in the production when Roo staged it nearly a decade ago.

When then-director Gordon Streek raised the idea of a return season, with Higgins at the helm, he was quick to jump on board.

"It's just very good comedy and I really enjoyed it last time," Higgins said. "Gordon was keen to perform in it again so that definitely sealed the deal."

The play, written by Ray Cooney, is a British farce about a doctor whose old flame bursts into his waiting room, followed by her (their?) son and the police.

There ensues a fast-paced tale with snappy dialogue, comedic antics and plenty of laughs.

Describing the humour as a mix between TV series Faulty Towers and the Carry On films, he said the play was sure to appeal to anyone in need of a decent belly laugh.

"It's a proper British farce in the sense that it's just absolute chaos," Higgins said.

"You've got characters coming on stage, going off, someone coming in dressed as a nurse or an Irish vicar and often the people on stage are just totally bewildered by the whole situation.

"It's one of those shows for anyone who needs a lift, a good laugh and a good night out."

The production features Roo Theatre founder Streek and life member Jean Ogilvie, along with a host of fresh faces, including one first-time performer.

"We had a man come in, he's 68, and he auditioned for the elderly characters," Higgins said.

"He told us he'd never been on stage before but this was on his bucket list. He came to rehearsals and he was just over the moon; he's so enthusiastic and it's great to see."

Higgins admitted the rehearsal season had been a riot with laughs aplenty, forcing the director to keep the reins on the show.

"Directing this has been so different because there's really only one monologue in it, everything else is one line from a character, then three lines from another, it just spins along," he said.

"If you're not on top of it, it can become a house of cards."