Table Manners

Guest review by Russell Cook from Suffolk Village Info.

Alan Ayckbourn’s play is supremely portrayed by Lucy-Jane Quinlan as Annie, Joanna Simpkins as Sarah, Toby Manley as Tom, Pete Ashmore as Reg, Ross Walton as Norman, and Polly Smith as Ruth.

One of the playwrights Norman Conquest trilogy, this is comic genius at its best.

Two strange couples, a sex starved single woman, and her slow-witted suitor - all thrown together for a disastrously hilarious weekend of eating, drinking, and utter confusion.

Norman tells his career-obsessed wife, Ruth, that he is going away on business, when in reality he is secretly planning an illicit weekend in East Grinstead (of all places) with his sister-in-law, Annie. Their plans are ruined, however, by the arrival of Annie's brother, Reg, and his prudish wife Sarah who finds out about the “dirty weekend”.

She calls Ruth to come and put a stop to her husband's philandering, but is not helped by Annie's kind, long standing boyfriend, Tom, who is frankly backwards when coming forwards on furthering the romance with Annie!

Alcohol flows while taught sexual tension and bizarre food are served up as the six quarrel over their relationships … and the weekend away planned in West Sussex.

Annie’s frustration at Tom’s lacklustre approach to their relationship leads her to accepting Norman’s illicit date so she can escape her dour lifestyle caring for her mother. Meanwhile, Norman’s happy-go-lucky demeanour doesn’t go down too well with Sarah and Reg, while Ruth just sees it as another of her husband’s wild fantasies.

Norman describes himself as “a gigolo in a haystack” as his plans with Annie fall by the wayside, while Sarah despairs at her family lifestyle looking after two children and her husband Reg…and motherless Ruth has little sympathy for her.

It’s a comical mix with traits of the hit TV series “To The Manor Born” and “Only Fools and Horses” thrown into it. The humour is subtle and cleverly conveyed throughout as the home-made carrot wine is consumed along with the salad and outrageous stew.

Table Manners is at New Wolsey, Ipswich until September 28.

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