Showing @ King’s Theatre, Edinburgh until Sat 10 Nov

Film remakes now litter cinemas for many reasons including the replication of a successful story and less expense on writers. Alexander Mackendrick’s iconic 1955 comedy The Ladykillers was badly remade by the Coen brothers in 2004, but Sean Foley’s production of Graham Linehan’s new adaptation shuns the American version, instead embracing the stiff upper-lip Britishness of Mackendrick’s original.

It’s preposterous from the outset when Mrs Wilberforce (Michele Dotrice) lets a room to Professor Marcus (Paul Bown), believing that he’s the conductor of an amateur string quintet. However, Marcus is actually using the residence to plan a heist with his criminal gang.

Greeted by Michael Taylor’s eye-catching and dysfunctional set, the audience is immediately transported to a bygone era of china teapots, elegant drapes and non-flatpack furnishings. But the background does more than imply the period; the dilapidated appearance (doors on diagonal, off-centre picture frames) works with the oddball humour of Linehan’s script but more importantly reflects Mrs Wilberforce’s character. She has her shortcomings but ultimately is unshakably honest.

Linehan’s sharp and witty rewrite makes some changes to allow the action to happen entirely in the house, but these modifications don’t impede on the comedy or political subtext. The style of humour (ranging from repetitive slapstick to discourteous mockery and intelligent satire) usually becomes hammy and tiresome, like the seemingly immortal Chuckle Brothers, but the atmosphere of suspended disbelief, common to many farces, lends itself to the inherent silliness of the genre. The ambiance is kept inviting through a combination of Linehan’s clever wording, Foley’s absorbing direction and convincing performances across the cast – particularly Clive Mantle’s Basil Fawlty-esque depiction of Major Courtney.

The crooks’ attitudes of taking a little from a lot of people mirror our current economic crisis, and with her well-to-do manner, Mrs Wilberforce is the epitome of British society. With her manipulation by a gang of outwardly respectable scoundrels, Foley and Linehan comment on how Britain has been taken advantage of by a society of ludicrous corruption.

Follow Callum on Twitter @CWMadge.