RELATIVELY SPEAKING
The Watermill Theatre, Bagnor, Newbury 5 March 2011
We went to see a matinee performance of Alan Ayckbourn’s “Relatively Speaking”. This was the second play by this prolific writer (well-known for the “Norman Conquests”) to be seen by the Group and we were not disappointed by this very capable production of a comedy which provided literally a laugh-a-minute, as the basically simple plot unfolded through a series of hilarious misunderstandings.
Set in the 1960’s, the opening Sunday morning scene introduces the young couple, Greg and Ginny, as they plan to get married. There is only one fly in the ointment, a middle-aged suitor who is showering Ginny with “unwanted” flowers and chocolates. Ginny explains that she has to visit her “parents” that morning at their cottage in leafy Buckinghamshire, but cannot take Greg along as they are “funny” about unexpected guests.
The scene switches to the garden of the “parents”, Philip and Sheila, as they enjoy a leisurely breakfast on their patio. The conversation is about gardening, golf and church, but there is an underlying suspicion that each suspects the other of having a secret affair. Enter on this tranquil scene a somewhat flustered Greg, who has impulsively decided to follow Ginny down to Buckinghamshire and has somehow arrived ahead of her.
Greg is not the brightest communicator and fails totally to get across the purpose of his visit to Sheila, who declares that she doesn’t have a daughter. He fares no better with Philip, who assumes that the younger man is proposing to run off with his wife. Enter at this point Ginny, who it transpires has arrived to break off her long-running affair with Philip. Sheila knows Ginny only by repute as a work-colleague of Philip’s and is surprised to find that she isn’t the elderly spinster she had always assumed her to be. Ginny is astounded to find Greg in the house, who meanwhile has somehow inveigled himself into assisting with the preparation of lunch.
Everything is resolved at the end as Philip winds up by having to pay for the honeymoon, Sheila sees an end to Philip’s philandering, Ginny achieves her aims and Greg remains the innocent abroad, still unaware that the older couple aren’t Ginny’s parents.
The part of the blustering, manipulative Philip was played by David Acton, the diffident Greg by Greg Haiste, the determined Ginny by Ellie Beaven and the mysterious Sheila by Gillian Bevan.
After the performance we filed with aching ribs into the gazebo, where we sat down to an excellent afternoon tea and the chance for conversation.
Our thanks to Malcolm Wright and the Committee for organising the event and transport to the theatre.
Stuart Norman
March 2011