Bedroom Farce

Ilkley Playhouse

As the curtain drew back we saw the three beds on different levels that were to be the setting of this Alan Ayckbourn play. Each would light up in turn to reveal the absurd unhappiness that couples are capable of inflicting on one another. The melancholy is lifted by plenty of one liners and physical comedy which punctuate the play.

Ayckbourn’s narrative is a dark one. The play centres around the characters Susannah and Trevor. There is domestic violence and the inner turmoil of a woman whose lack of self-confidence means she cannot stand to lose her manipulative husband. So it’s not your traditional theme for a comedy. The counterpoint to this couple is Kate and Malcolm. They are hosting a housewarming party. They are jovial and loving towards one another. Mark Simister, playing Malcolm, has a face that can contort into many an amusing expression. The scene in which he proudly displays the results of his labours at flat pack furniture is pure Frank Spencer. Kate Dobson, playing Kate, the well-meaning peacemaker, was particularly good playing the awkwardness of an unexpected bed scene with Susannah.

Ayckbourn takes us into the lives of four different couples. The older couple, Ernest and Delia, are played by real-life husband and wife John and Jacqui Howard. Although they have worked on plays together, this is the first time that they have acted on stage together. They play the endearing couple who are clearly in love. Delia firmly puts Ernest into his place at times, but we know as an audience that their relationship is a solid one. This allows Delia to play the wise counsel later in the play. Some of the best lines are delivered by this character, especially when she doesn’t try to hide the fact that she would have preferred a different daughter-in-law to Susannah.

The standout performance for me was by Dermot Hill playing Nick, the almost cuckolded husband of Jan. The character’s bad back leaves him bedbound. There is exquisite pleasure in watching someone else in agony, I don’t know why, there just is. Hill’s groans and cries of pain as he turns in bed, together with the frustration of being unable to quite reach any of the objects he wants to, provide a lot of opportunities for physical comedy. In addition, the lines directed at his wife’s former lover, Trevor, are delivered with a sneer and sarcasm that could have come from David Mitchell. Hill and Becky Kordowicz provide one of the best physical comedy moments when the character Jan attempts to help Nick back into bed.

As ever, the set designers and makers have created scenery to rival any professional production. The skill of the playwright, actors and all involved in the production has been to take this normality and reflect back to us the comic ludicrousness that can be found when you examine any relationship.

Patrick McGuckin