Yvonne Arnaud Theatre – until 10 July 2021
Reviewed by Heather Chalkley
4****
Ayckbourn fits London Classic Theatre like a glove. His unusual perspectives on ordinary lives does not disappoint in Absurd Person Singular. Ayckbourn’s study of class and social mobility often forms the frame of his work. In this piece, instead of focusing on the centre point of the home, his scenes are played out in the kitchen. You glimpse into the characters private lives, away from the public eye.
The classic 70’s humour, fashion and social attitudes are laid bare, offering you golden nuggets of humour and human vulnerability. We never meet the life and soul of the Christmas gatherings, The Potter’s. They are the stooges that keep the party in the other room going. Whilst in the kitchen, we have 3 couples, moving up and down the social ladder, as each year their fate or fortune impacts on their status. Felicity Houlbrooke (Jane Hopcroft) plays a sensitive, kind-hearted soul, completely OCD with manic energy, that allows her to not see what is right in front of her, with great comic effect. Houlbrooke strikes a balance without going over the top. Helen Keeley (Eva Jackson) delivers her lines with a dead pan face that makes the audience laugh out load. Keeley skilfully presents the tragedy in the comedy. The cast are clearly as familiar as family, producing a smooth performance.
The artistic team captured the era perfectly, in costume and set – there is no mistaking that wallpaper for any other time! After 60 years of prolific writing, Ayckbourn continues to entertain