The bedroom farce, with its slamming doors and mismatched couples, has its roots in ancient Roman comedy. And it shows every sign of being around for a while.

Witness "Boeing Boeing," a French farce from 1962, that is playing to great acclaim on Broadway.

The first show of the Apple Hill Playhouse season is another European import, "No Sex Please, We're British."

This farce, which concerns newly married bank manager Peter Hunter, his wife Frances and lots of Scandinavian pornography, opened in 1971 in London and ran for 10 years.

Frances orders some glassware through the mail, but to the couple's shock, foreign porn starts to arrive. Because they live above the bank, the presence of the indecent material imperils Peter's job, and they struggle to hide it from his boss, Mr. Bromhead; bank inspector, Mr. Needham; and Peter's mother, Eleanor.

Nate Newell is a frequent actor at Apple Hill, but this play marks only his second time as director there. The first was September's fast-paced comedy, "The Complete History of America (Abridged)."

"I always get the zany farces, and the sex farces," he said. "I guess they think I can handle them."

Mr. Newell said "No Sex Please, We're British" stands apart from other farces of its kind because of its script.

"It's well-written," he said. "Some farces depend too much on [bathroom] jokes, things like that. This has more snap and wit."

He said most of his cast will be familiar to audiences from their work at Apple Hill, but that Patrick Link, who plays bank cashier Brian Runnicles, is a newcomer.

"Any chance you have to bring in somebody new, you take it," Mr. Newell said.

Pam Farneth, who plays "working girl" Susan, was last on the Apple Hill stage in November as trashy cousin Chick in "Crimes of the Heart."

Ms. Farneth noted that, as a blonde, she's sometimes typecast as "the fun girl," and no more so than in "No Sex Please, We're British."

"I'm a lady of the evening, and I show up with my assistant, Barbara," played by Kate Hagerty, "because we think the husband is a little dissatisfied with our products."

Ms. Farneth added she and Ms. Hagerty wear lingerie on stage, but the production is rated PG.

The performance also stars Michael Byrne as police inspector Vernon Paul; Monica Filippone as Frances; Chip Kerr as Mr. Bromhead; Andy Nesky as Mr. Needham; Kate O'Halloran as Eleanor; and Jim Scriven as Peter.

Apple Hill's season will continue with "Travels with My Aunt," June 12-28; "Footloose," July 10-26; "The Star-Spangled Girl," July 31-Aug. 16; "Leading Ladies," Aug. 21-Sept. 6; "Christmas Belles," Sept. 18-Oct. 4; and "Lucky Stiff," Oct. 16-Nov. 1.