Joking Apart review, Union Theatre

Joking Apart is classic Alan Ayckbourn: take three surburban couples, put them somewhere in the English countryside with only each other for amusement, throw a couple of firecrackers into the mix and then stand back and see what happens. In this case there are literally firecrackers as the action starts on bonfire night 1970 in the garden of Anthea and Richard's large house.

Bonfire flight

The couples in question are local vicar, Hugh, and his neurotic wife Louise who've just moved into the new build at the end of the garden, and Richard's whining Finnish business partner Sven with his controlling wife, Olive. Also in the frame is Brian, a gormless fellow whose disengaged girlfriends act as 'beards' while he nurtures his passion for Anthea. It's all so very civilised, but as passions bubble up to the surface, we get a steady series of ripples that eventually displace what we know.

Claire Marlowe and Jamie Kenna are terrific as Anthea and Richard, and Jamie Richards' Hugh, develops firmly and gently into a believably mixed-up man of the cloth. The limits of space and budget mean some markers aren't met as well as they might be, but the writing is witty and wise and the humour is drawn out sufficiently to make this an entertaining night out.

In conclusion: If the ending's a bit meaningless, it's because this isn't rocket science but a peep behind the curtains of everyday life. The content has across-the-board appeal and in our group even the teens were laughing out loud.

References
The Union Theatre
Alan Ayckbourn information