ACT Reviews 2022-2023 Season

FARCICALS by Alan Ayckbourn Directed by Celia Bonner Altrincham Little Theatre

This evening, I got to watch four actors entertain us in two short farces by Alan Ayckbourn. The first was “ Chloe With Love ”. Teddy’s marriage to Lottie is going through a difficult period, the spark that first brought them together has waned. Does he still love Lottie and more to the point does Lottie still love him? The next door neighbours, Penny and Reggie, are on

hand to offer advice and help their friends. Teddy has, in the past, been known to have a wandering eye for the ladies until he settled down and so Reggie is enlisted to help him resist temptation through this time. Penny on the other hand, convinces Lottie that she needs to glam up and take on another persona “Chloe”. The second was “ The Kidderminster Affair ”. As we know, Teddy has been known to look at other women, other than his wife but has he been having a secret liaison with his neighbour Penny and is a secret about to come to the fore while the four friends have a summer barbecue? The premise is that it does not matter which way round these playsare performed but to my thinking the director got the order correct. People sometimes have a low opinion of farce which has a combination of the ridiculous and use of clever language, highlighted by the over use of “good” wordplay in the first play between Reggie and Teddy. There were also the coded discussions in the second that provided mirth. Farce also has to build in pace of action and dialogue delivery as well has having a bit of slapstick thrown in. While all these elements were there, this was first night and some of actors seemed a little less confident in