Duke of York’s Theatre 11 July – 1 October. Reviewed by Claire Roderick
Alan Strachan’s fantastic revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s 1969 comedy transfers to the Duke of York’s on a wave of nostalgia and laughter.
Ayckbourn’s plot, full of class snobbery and casual sexism, is frighteningly still relevant today, although Strachan wisely keeps the setting in the late 60s, preserving the impact of the clandestine telephone conversations.
Fiona and Frank have been married for longer than he can remember, mind you, he can’t remember where he put his shoes. Bored with her privileged but routine life, Fiona has begun an affair with Bob, “the office Romeo”, who works for Frank. Bob is married to Terry – frustrated at being stuck at home with a baby that makes Damian seem appealing. After a particularly late night out together, Fiona and Bob’s lies to their spouses drag the Featherstones into the mess, claiming that THEY are both having affairs. Unfortunately, both Frank and Terry decide to help get the Featherstones marriage back on track over dinner.
Julie Godfrey’s wonderful set is a little mind bending at first, with the upper class wood panelled Foster home flanked by the, frankly grotty, Phillips flat. The cast, with perfect timing and choreography, move about the stage, sitting side by side on the sofa (half yellow, half grey to show the different homes), but still convincingly in different rooms. Both telephones are front and centre – showcasing the delicious calls and anchoring the whole design.
The technical brilliance of writing, acting and directing during the dinner party scene is astounding. Although you are far too busy laughing to dwell on that at the time. Two dinner parties, taking place on two different nights, in two different places are intertwined seamlessly and hysterically, signalled only by the Featherstones’ changing angles. Brilliant.
It must have been daunting for Andrea Lowe to join this established cast, but it’s as if she’s been with them from the beginning. She gives Terry a manic, dangerous side, seeming to enjoy confronting her husband. As Bob, Jason Merrells takes inspiration from all the 70s TV lotharios, cocky and snarky and, again, revelling in confrontation – a pair well matched. Jenny Seagrove’s Fiona manages to carry off my grandmother’s hairstyle with panache, and oozes sophistication and boredom as she deals with her husband. Her descent into panic as she thinks she’s been found out is well judged and touchingly funny. Nicholas Le Provost is glorious as Frank – wandering absentmindedly around the stage, vague and befuddled, but with a hint of calculation behind the benevolent bumbling. Matthew Cottle is oily and obsequious as William Featherstone – quietly bullying his wife and lecturing her in social mores to great comic effect. Cottle’s underlying hint of malevolent violence makes William even more pathetic. William’s attitude towards his wife may rankle, but there are many men who still act this way today. Gillian Wright is a hoot as his wife, Mary. Her reactions and movements just scream social awkwardness and compliance, making her eventual defiance of William cheer worthy. The scene where Fiona tries desperately to make small talk with the Featherstones is a masterclass in timing – with perfectly delivered excruciating silences and spat out banalities.
This comedy isn’t going to change the world, instead it shows us that the world hasn’t changed that much in 50 years – Ayckbourn’s lines are timeless, insightful, and very, very funny. How The Other Half Loves is a fantastic production full of laugh out loud moments and with a cast at the top of their game.