ANY play about the onset of incontinence and senility needs extremely careful handling, and in the experienced hands of Bob Larbey, one of the country’s foremost scriptwriters, these subjects are tackled head-on in this touching and extremely funny play.

In the demanding central role of Cooper, a man who has voluntarily left his family to avoid the indignity of depending on them, Jim Lockwood’s was a first-class performance, talking to the audience about his fears for the future, dreading the monthly visits from his family, and protectively caring for his ally Nurse Wilson (a sympathetic Danielle Arnold).

As co-resident Aylott, teetering on the verge of senility, Richard Walker provided the soundingboard in their continuing battle against memory-loss, ultimately succumbing in the play’s moving final moments.

Good support, too, from Sandi Cox as cleaning lady Mrs. Baker, and Eileen Dennett and Richard Dix as Cooper’s family, the dreaded monthly visitors.