STiFF

A “Godiva Productions Limited” FILM
WRITTEN BY April Phillips

There have been 40 theatre productions of the sell-out comedy STiFF all over New Zealand, Australia, Norfolk Island and London. It’s finally coming to the big screen!

Suspenders, death by misadventure, a madcap séance, and unorthodox embalming techniques feature in this hilarious, quickfire comedy.

Angel Delight, the illegitimate daughter of an undertaker, inherits his funeral parlour when her father dies. The valuable property is worth a bomb! But Angel is unable to sell the assets until such time as a condition of the Will has been fulfilled: the funeral service is to remain in the family and to continue operation for a further five years in order to reach its 100th anniversary. Disgruntled undertaker and former employee Robert Swipe is furious that he has been overlooked in favour of this illegitimate offspring and he vows to expose Angel and take his rightful ownership of the business.

Angel and her friends, knowing nothing about undertaking, decide to use the funeral parlour as a front for what they do know – sex – and so Angel’s Massage Parlour is launched. Angel is aided and abetted by her team of “girls”: Delilah, the obsessive compulsive cleaning transvestite; Roxanne Paine, a dominatrix with a dream to be a doctor; and Sherry, the ditzy blonde, always a step or two behind.

The “business” is underway and the punters (“Stiffs”) are rolling in. Chaos develops though when one of the punters, a High Court Judge, is accidentally electrocuted during one of Roxanne’s sessions and when Swipe interrupts the disposal of the body, the girls have no choice but to hold the funeral. Madness ensues with an improvised embalming session, a riotous séance, a widow with attitude, a hilarious funeral service, and an explosive climax.