Before a word is spoken, the laughs begin. A few cast members appear on a set that nails retirement village decor, with its peachy tones and nice but decidedly utilitarian fixtures and furniture. Playing doddering residents, they milk their characters’ quirks and slow pace through physical humour and timing that immediately gets the audience giggling. The laughs hardly let up for the next two hours, thanks to Lally Katz’s wisecracking script and a cast that’s uniformly hilarious.

Minnie and Liraz is set in a retirement village overseen by caregiver, Norma, and the play opens at a resident’s memorial. The deceased was the longtime bridge partner of Minnie, a brilliant player who lives at the facility with her husband, Morris. Fellow resident Liraz coaxes Minnie into being her new bridge partner, by agreeing to a pact that will bring their 30-something socially awkward grandchildren, Rachel and Ichabod, together. Minnie is obsessed with having a great-grandchild and Liraz is desperate to win the national bridge tournament so – despite their very different personalities – they form a bond and the games begin.