THE GENIUS writing of Alan Ayckbourn was brilliantly brought from the page to the stage when the Stourbridge Theatre Company put on Bedroom Farce.
If done right, you cannot beat a classic British farce and this was done right and more.
The action centres on three bedrooms and four couples (of course each one containing contrasting colourful characters Ayckbourn creates so well).
And with a minimalist set and props – basically just a bed in each of the thirds of the stage – and a few other mundane day-to-day items, it is up to the actors to bring the writing to life.
The beauty of Ayckbourn – and the reason he is described as a ‘genius’ in the opening of this review – is that he can take the everyday and bring it to life, creating characters and situations everyone can relate to. Those watching have either been in these happenings themselves or know someone who has.
Along the way, he (and the cast) are exploring the dynamics of relationships and the differences within them.
I would not bet against people watching these character-led creations and considering their own relationships and life choices, maybe even to the point of considering changing them – such is the power of the playwright’s pen.
The first act was very much like one of those suburban 70s sitcoms we have come to know and love and the second ramped up the situations and ineractions to real ‘watch-through-your-fingers’ drama and comedy.
The cast
I am not going to single out any of the cast for particular praise as they all made their roles their own and performed them wonderfully – each one evoking varying emotions and it was these different interactions between them which brought all the dramatic tension, comedy, sympathy, empathy and probably self-evaluation.
Stephen Downing as Earnest and Sue Downing as Delia were superb together – an older couple who had a laid back relationship and did not want too much drama. They both worried about their son and daughter-in-law, he was more concerned with the leaky roof and she dispatched words of wisdom that only comes with age. Both conveyed their roles perfectly.
Michael Willis was tasked with playing Nick – laid up in his bed with a bad back. The only time he was not ‘under the eiderdown’ was when he fell out of bed and onto the floor trying to reach his book. His portrayal of the frustrated and, often grumpy, pain-stricken character was fun to watch.
How often do you see a couple with one exuberant partner and the other one less so? Nick’s more flamboyant other half Jan was expertly played by Laura Jacobs who did not stand for his whining (how often have we seen that from women to men) and just wanted everyone to get on with everything. She, you sensed, had ‘what could have been’ regrets – of course, much surpressed.
Nick Kendrick was terrific as the ‘Jack-the-lad’ and very self-assured Trevor, strutting about and primarily thinking of himself and his reputation – he was matched (as is often in life and the Ayckbourn way) with the highly emotional and, somewhat insecure, Susannah. Georgia Sanders captured her character with aplomb – breaking down one moment and talking herself out of her anxiety the next.
And that leaves – party hosts in the first act – Malcolm and Kate. He’s a person who likes to think of himself competent at most things – from throwing a party to doing DIY. She is flitting from being happy in her home and relationship to questioning whether she is too boring and asking if there is something more exciting out there she would enjoy more than the life she has. And the fact I have summed that ‘grass is always greener’ mindset up in this paragraph is testament to the excellent portrayals by Dan Price and Laura Cox – again, there is a couple we all know out there in that very situation (maybe watching themselves on stage tonight) and Price and Cox conveyed that couple so well.
In truth, Ayckbourn’s writing is a director’s dream but it takes the right director to get the right actors in the right roles to make it a success and Michael Barry and his team have done just that.
This production enjoyed plenty of well-deserved laugh out loud moments and offered thought-provoking theatre in the process – it is well worth a watch.
The final performances are at 7.30pm at Stourbridge Town Hall on Friday and Saturday (November 21 and 22).
Click here to buy tickets and for more information.
*****
