Rules for Living

What a riotous night I had as I joined Wargrave Theatre for their production of Rules for Living. The play which sees a very dysfunctional family stagger through their preparations for Christmas dinner explores the premise that everyone has their own ways of coping with difficult situations (a set of rules that enables them to do things that they are uncomfortable with).

The director must have worked very hard with the cast as they never strayed from the rules, gradually adding more and more elements. Together they developed very believable characters and relationships, although it was clear that they had no intention of tolerating one another’s opinions. The energy and passion from the entire cast was shown through the frustration and anger of this dysfunctional family at breaking point and as the situation began to unravel, it was quite obvious that the family home was the last place any of them really wanted to be! The directors and the cast kept the pace going and the emotions running high concluding in a family food fight! 

The set was a very impressive kitchen complete with a large dresser, dining table and eyelevel oven. There were Christmas decorations galore and a Christmas tree with presents and stockings not to mention a fully laid table complete with an enormous turkey. The kitchen was beautifully designed and painted and had a warmth about it unlike the family dynamics. The rules were displayed on a screen front stage left. Each time a rule was introduced or developed, it was accompanied with a ping to draw our attention to it and to the characters so that we could watch their mannerisms and see their body language change with each rule.

I really enjoyed the production and congratulate the cast on their energy and commitment to the plot!

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