By ANTHONY NJAGI

Helen Keli in 'Theft'

Comedies are all the rave in town, with very few groups staging serious or tragic drama. At the Kenya National Theatre, Public Noisemakers last month packed in the crowds while Boeing Boeing, performed by Tufani Arts. It was performed at the French Cultural Centre auditorium last weekend under the direction of Jacob Otieno.

It is in this spirit that Phoenix Theatre today stages Eric Chappell's hilarious play, Theft, at the Professional Centre. This time round, Alex Kamau is directing. He has injected even more antics to crack the ribs of the audience. The jury is still out on who between him and Sammy Mwangi, who is directing Husband for Breakfast at the French Cultural Centre (showing at 3pm and 6pm), will outdo each other.

Theft is the story of John (T.K. Kitana) and his wife Barbara (Hellen Keli). Having just returned from an anniversary dinner with their close friends, Trevor (George Mungai) and his wife Jenny (Angela Ndambuki), they find their house burgled.

The intruder, Springs (Steve Murua), they later discover, is still in the house. He turns out to be more than they can handle. The production runs until March 16.

Aleks Kamau has a cast of Angela Ndambuki, Steve Murua, Helen Keli, T.K. Katana and George Mungai. Katana is playing as Husband and his combination with Helen Keli will set off sparks. Angela Ndambuki, a regular face in TV commercials, is another actress to watch.

The author of the play, Eric Chappel, spent his early working life as an auditor with the Electricity Board. After he took up full-time writing in 1973, he had instant success with the play The Banana Box, which was produced at the Apollo Theatre.

The Banana Box inspired the television series Rising Damp. Chappel went on to write television and radio plays. In 1975, his series, The Squirrels, won the Television Award for most promising new writer.

In 1978, Rising Damp received the Bafta Award for best situation comedy and, in 1979, Chappel wrote the screenplay for Rising Damp. It also won the Evening Standard Film Award for Best Comedy. More recently he has co-written with Jean Warr the successful Duty Free, based on his play We're Strangers Here. It was originally produced at the Windsor Theatre Royal in 1980. His play Up And Running premiered at Windsor in 1989 and proved highly popular, as did Something's Burning and Natural Causes . Latest television shows include Hagar, Home to Roost and Fiddlers Thee.

Chappel has since returned to his first love, theatre, and has written many plays, including Haunted and Theft, showing in Kenya.

Meanwhile, Phoenix will be presenting two new Kenya scripts, The Striped Leopard by Oby Obyerodhyambo and Unearthing the Worm by JPR Ochieng-Odero. And in Muranga, Kahati Secondary School will this afternoon present The Ogre, produced by school principal Christopher Ngare, at the school hall.