“Actors are very funny,” says director Bryony Ruddock who is currently working with the Rickmansworth Players on their latest production - One Man Two Guvnors - “ and a lot of the things that have made me laugh have been incorporated into the play.”

The Rose Bruford College student says: “Farce was always described to me as slamming doors and dropped trousers. We have progressed a little from that – but not by much! The audience can expect a lot of physical comedy, which is all supported by the brilliant script by Richard Bean.”

The play follows Francis Henshall, who after being fired from his skiffle band, becomes minder to Roscoe Crabbe, a small time East End hood, now in Brighton to collect £6,000 from the dad of his fiancee. But Roscoe is really his sister Rachel posing as her own dead brother, who has been killed by her boyfriend Stanley Stubbers.

Holed up at The Cricketers Arms, the permanently ravenous Francis spots the chance of an extra meal ticket and takes a second job with one Stanley Stubbers, who is hiding from the police and waiting to be reunited with Rachel. To prevent discovery, Francis must keep his two Guvnors apart. Simple.

“One of the biggest concerns for any director in farce is finding an ensemble who know and trust each other and are therefore willing to take risks,” explains Bryony. “I have been lucky to have a cast who interact and support each other. This has meant that we have been able to create much livelier and funnier scenes than even I anticipated.

“Fran who plays Roscoe/Rachel is a really great actress she came into rehearsals having really worked on embodying a man. In my experience, I did a production of Twelfth Night recently and the best was for a woman to appear manly is through movement. Fran came into rehearsals in men’s trousers, sometimes simple changes like that really help to alter character.”

On choosing the play, Bryony adds that this was too good of an opportunity to miss. “After all who can resist a good belly laugh.”

Pump House Theatre, Local Board Road, Watford, May 3-7. Details: 01923 241362, pumphouse.info