My Wonderful Day, Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, until March 20 (From The Argus)

My Wonderful Day, Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, until March 20

Alan Ayckbourn continues to amaze with his ingenious plot lines and hilarious writing. As ever, the foibles and sadness of his characters lie behind the laughter.

Nine-year-old Winnie is off school and accompanies her mother, a cleaner, to the home of an egotistical TV presenter Kevin Tate. She is told to sit quietly and finish her homework, an essay entitled My Wonderful Day. What follows is a stream of cleverly contrived, bizarre and increasingly frenetic comings and goings of adults in a weird household, all of which end up in Winnie’s essay.

The excellence of the writing and the playwright’s direction is matched by the quality of the cast. There are sound performances from Petra Letang as Winnie’s mum and Terence Booth, the obnoxious Kevin.

Much of the comedy is provided by Ruth Gibson and Paul Kemp. Gibson plays Tiffany, the baby-voiced bimbo who, along with the rest of the adults, patronise the young girl and speak to her as though she is a pet animal. Kemp’s Josh is a truly comic creation but, like Tiffany, has a streak of sadness that breaks out while talking to Winnie.

Alexandra Mathie appears all too briefly as Kevin’s wife with a wickedly acid tongue.

But the evening belongs to Ayesha Antoine, the young actress playing Winnie. Her performance is astounding and a sheer delight – it is full of subtly, understated with watchful eyes and facial expressions that speak volumes.

The production is a joy throughout.

*Call 01323 412000