It’s a perfect confection of misunderstanding, says director Robin Herford about his next play at The Mill at Sonning.
Relatively Speaking — a comedic farce of two couples — will be taking to the stage tomorrow, with performances until Saturday, April 18.
“It’s an unbelievably funny play,” says Robin. “I first saw it in Dundee, when I was a student. I paid three shillings and seven pence for my ticket.
“That was the first time I’d heard of Alan Ayckbourn, the writer.
“Really, it was his first big hit as well.”
The play is set in the 1960s, with its setting crucial to the comedic value.
“It’s all about mis-communication. The biggest change we’ve had in society is the mobile phone. Things can be resolved with just a text.
“So, the lack of communication provides a backdrop for the comedy here.”
The storyline follows young couple, Greg (Christopher Bonwell) and Ginny (Lianne Harvey), who plans to visit her parents Sheila (Rachel Fielding) and Philip (James Simmons) in the heart of Buckinghamshire.
In a spur of the moment decision, Greg follows Ginny down to her parental home to ask her father for her hand in marriage.
Robin was glad to set the scene, but keen to avoid giving the game away.
“It’s wonderful how people get the wrong end of the stick, and where that takes them,” he said.
Having worked on Relatively Speaking before, both as an actor and a director, the play is incredibly familiar for him.
“I know it well, but I love reinventing it. With new actors, they always bring different nuances and strengths to the performance.”
The cast of four only had three weeks of rehearsals before opening night.
“I try and encourage the actors to learn the play before rehearsals start,” he says. “That way we can skip a step and jump straight into practicing the performance. It’s fast-paced.”
But rehearsals have to be fast-paced for the cast to embrace the physicality of performance.
“The play combines both verbal and physical comedy. And a smaller cast helps to carry the momentum of the performance.
“When there’s only four of you, you’re involved all the time — it’s immersive. And pace is so important to onstage comedy.”
Robin has been involved in theatre for the vast portion of his life.
“In 1976, I was auditioned by Alan for an acting role, and that was the start of 13 years working together at the Stephen Joseph Theatre,” he says. “We held our rehearsals in the upper room of a local library in Scarborough, where he wrote a series of wonderful plays.
“I stayed with the theatre where I became his associate director.
“He directed 60% of the shows, and I did 40%, that meant I could still act in the performances he was directing.
“I learnt so much from him and I have definitely modeled my own teaching methods on his — he is a man of the theatre.”
Mr Ayckbourn has written upwards of 80 plays throughout his career and won both Olivier and Tony awards for his work. Fifty-three years on, his first big hit is still filling seats.
