As the most intimate room of the house, our bedrooms bear witness to all our most private, most secret conversations and activities. It is where we are at our most vulnerable, most honest (or most deceptive?) and most raw.
Therefore you know a play is going to be eventful when it is set entirely in a series of bedrooms… The truth, as they say, will out.
The Mill at Sonning’s new production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce depicts a hilarious-if-slightly-depressing view of middle-class marriage, all confined to the bedroom.
I am such a fan of the intimacy of the theatre space The Mill has to offer, with only a handful of rows of audience surrounding a half-moon shaped stage, which for this production has been divided into three distinct bedrooms. This intimacy perfectly lends itself to a story of this sort, where scenes move seamlessly from bedroom to bedroom as the plot unfolds across one eventful night and the following morning.
Ayckbourn’s expert depiction of character is ever-present, where the intertwined lives of four couples are played out before us by our ensemble cast. Fast-paced and brilliant, its performers superbly navigate the storyline as it occurs in real time.
The volatile marriage of Trevor (Ben Porter) and Susannah (Allie Crocker) is the much-discussed central narrative of their parents, friends and former lovers. Their love story isn’t exactly one we are rooting for, but I loved the mad-cap energy between the pair as they handled their rollercoaster of a romance.
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The brilliance of Ayckbourn’s character study, however, puts all relationships under the microscope, and the marital shortcomings of this central relationship also expose the cracks in those around them.
The ageing Ernest (Stuart Fox) and Delia (Julia Hills) have shades of Basil and Sybil Fawlty about their performance, with some of the best one-liners coming from their bedroom. Romance may have been replaced by late-night pilchard snacking, but I found their scenes to be especially brilliant.
The bed-bound Nick (Damien Matthews) and his long-suffering partner Jan (Georgia Burnell) have both settled for second best in their relationships, but their performances were first class, delivering some of my favourite moments of physical comedy.
And even joyful new homeowners Malcolm (Antony Eden) and Kate (Rhiannon Handy) who at first glance seem the least problematic discover their marriage is not without flaw: her mind sometimes wanders to DIY during sex, while he is prone to childish tantrums when drama comes to their housewarming party.
There are no weak links in this cast, where actors bounce off each other’s energy to deliver a polished night of joyful theatre, exactly what The Mill at Sonning can always be relied on to put to bed.
Bedroom Farce runs at The Mill at Sonning until Saturday, September 21. For more information or to book your ticket, visit www.millatsonning.com.
