Bedroom Farce

St George’s Parish Hall was transformed for this production of Alan Ayckbourn’s comedy, Bedroom Farce, this May. The Martyr’s Players conjured three separate bedrooms, each with a differing feel in a rather tight area but ingeniously utilised the space by having these rooms set up, not quite in the round but rather in a tri-spoke formation with the audience sitting in sections which interspersed the chambers and left the central area as a shared space.  Not easy to describe but easy to state that it was clever and different and worked perfectly for this farce. We felt completely immersed in the action, the performers must have nerves of steel, they could literally have reached out and touched a member of the audience, there was no where to hide…except under the duvet of course!

Well done to the artistic team behind it all  - Artistic Directors Leon Shufflebotham and Phil Gibbons and set designers/ builders Dave Povart, Paul Bowers and again Leon Shufflebotham. The costumes were in keeping for the most part, a couple of pieces pulled focus but nothing major and because of the era in which it is set, there are a couple of themes mentioned in the script that don’t quite stand the test of time but because this production stayed faithful to the era, they went by with only a slight raised eyebrow reaction from the astute audience.  

The rest of the tech was also spot on, lighting switching from set to set - to navigate the sightlines and light it appropriately without blinding an audience member was quite a feat. The music created great ambience and was era specific. The commitment to the piece was also evident in the pyjama-clad front of house and tech staff, a fun touch.

Director Barbara Harris created a classic Ayckbourn feel, it had echoes of 70’s sitcoms and the dialogue had that typical Ayckbourn rhythm and was delivered in a very distinct and considered way which was a consistent thread throughout. Each scene was punchy and active, there was plenty of physical comedy that Harris and the cast executed brilliantly.

The first couple we meet are the more mature Ernest and Delia played here by Gary Ward and Bridget Kik, who, beyond a few sticky script and memory moments, put in solid performances. Gary and Bridget obviously understood these characters and the relationship and bickering felt nicely established – one could believe they’d been married a long time.

James Davies as Malcolm and Hana Ramsden as Kate were well observed characters. Both had a great energy on stage and the tangles and status shifts were believable and fun to watch. The facial expressions of these two were a particular highlight, signposting the subtext superbly.

The couple that invoked the most laughter, and thoroughly deserved to, was Paul Bowers and Catherine Eaton as Nick and Jan. These two gave sterling performances. Nick’s yelps of agony had the audience in stitches and the relationship was so genuine and convincing. Natural, hilarious and nuanced renditions and the physical farce was beautifully achieved. Well done!

The ‘trouble makers’ Trevor and Susannah, played by Phil Gibbons and Kim Cooper did well as the unwelcome pair. Kim’s sincere Susannah was endearing yet appropriately annoying, the scene with Ernest and Delia really allowed her to flex her irritating muscles and Trevor’s scene with Nick and Jan was particularly funny and showed the comedic gloom he exudes effectively!

The Martyr’s Players produced a faithful and fun farce that showcased Ayckbourn’s signature sharpness and linguistic and physical comedy. A thoroughly enjoyable evening.

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