Malvern Festival Theatre
RELATIVELY SPEAKING (Theatre Royal Bath Productions)
It’s over four years since Alan Ayckbourn’s hilarious comedy, ‘Relatively Speaking’, had its last airing at Malvern Festival Theatre and the new tour is playing to packed houses again. This tale of mistaken identities and miscommunication continues to delight the audience, evident by the raucous laughter throughout the evening.
It’s over four years since Alan Ayckbourn’s hilarious comedy, ‘Relatively Speaking’, had its last airing at Malvern Festival Theatre and the new tour is playing to packed houses again. This tale of mistaken identities and miscommunication continues to delight the audience, evident by the raucous laughter throughout the evening.
Set in the late 60’s, when it was originally written, the
play opens in a small London basement flat as young lovers Greg and Ginny
prepare for their day. Mysterious phone calls, copious amounts of flowers and
hidden chocolates create a great deal of interest for Greg who decides to
follow his girlfriend on her day trip, out of the city, to visit family. The
action moves to a beautiful house in the country where we meet Philip and Sheila,
a retired married couple who harbour suspicions about each other’s lives.
Before long Greg arrives, later followed by Ginny, and stories unravel causing
linguistic mayhem and utter confusion on all parties prior to, during and after
Sunday lunch.
The ‘cheeky’, Max Bennett confidently plays Greg,
titillating onlookers, in the first scene, as he bears all! The articulation of
his accent made delivery of the wordy dialogue difficult to understand at times
but not to the detriment of his overall performance. The stunning, Kara
Tointon, more known for her television work, definitely showed her metal as a
brilliant stage performer, in the role of Ginny, and one of whom I hope we see
much more. Her strong vocal and physical performance were a delight to watch
and she commanded the stage with ease, even when in the presence of seasoned
professionals, Felicity Kendal and Jonathan Coy, who were simply brilliant in
their respective roles of Sheila and Philip.
Lindsey Posner perfectly directs this crowd-pleasing play,
with impressively substantial sets designed by Peter McKintosh, produced by the fantastic Theatre Royal Bath Productions, but be quick if
you want to see it because tickets are selling like hot cakes! Relatively
Speaking runs until Saturday.
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