Cast

Synopsis

“This is a classic night of Ayckbourn. It feels almost indecent to laugh but somehow you just can’t stop yourself”. – Charles Spencer – The Telegraph

Following the fortunes of three wildly incompatible couples over three consecutive Christmases, Ayckbourn based this comedy-drama on the observation that you can discern much about a person from the fit of their kitchen. Hence we have the Hopcrofts (spotless Formica and sparkling white goods); the Jacksons (knotted pine, filthy oven) and the Brewster-Wrights (temperamental Aga and malfunctioning Victorian boiler).
Few plays expose the pressures of the festive season to such devastating effect.

Directors Notes

Alan Ayckbourn at his best, Absurd Person Singularis a comic masterpiece of social climbing in 1970s suburbia, a potent mix of farce and black comedy. Three married couples, three kitchens, three Christmas Eve parties, the first of which, hosted by a small-time developer Sidney Hopcraft and his wife Jane, reveals class differences and naked ambition to darkly comic effect. Over the following two years we see the roles increasingly reversed and all three marriages under pressure. A Christmas you certainly wouldn’t want in your own home. I feel sure that with our own strong, dedicated cast and backstage team we can show Ayckbourn at his very best. Merry Christmas