How the other half loves

Certainly Martin Rodwell did not leave any stone unturned in his direction to capitalise on every last ounce of humour in this very funny play. How very well cast the three couples, balanced and sparking off each other, they extracted and exaggerated the relationships within their marriages, and the interactions and social levels between the couples worked so well and just increased the comedy factors: the Fosters (Graham Blyth and Pauline Lingard), he the boss at work but not very capable at home and she with the guilty conscience but the superb hostess to disguise it, the Phillips (Gary Clifton and Lucy Murphy), he the life and soul of work parties and she living a dream of writing but the total disintegration of organisation to run a home, and The Featherstones (Carl Denis and Nikki Hever), he the master at home and the DIY and she the naïve and shy but coming through at the finish to be a real person. We waited to see which facet of the humour was to be seen next as the well-drawn characters just kept developing and progressing through the chaos which ensued as the action continued; of course I remembered the dinner parties sequence (and the soup) but had forgotten some of the other hilarious twists and turns in the plot. This really is such a good play, the pace kept up to speed which is necessary, and, being so funny, it was a tonic for the audience on a cold night to have so much laughter, certainly the cast rose to the standard. Must comment on the very excellent set and all those well appointed furnishings and the properties, difficult to get the two rooms design on a small stage and this worked well and looked well dressed (presumably someone was denuded of furniture this week?).

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