Christmas is the time for families to gather - and for discord and mayhem to break out.
Alan Ayckbourn’s black comedy demonstrates his mastery in depicting recognisable people and setting them on a farcical course while revealing a darker side to their lives.
Feelings of marital dissatisfaction, inadequacy and failure surface, along with the realisation that one is laughing at another’s pain.
Gathered for the festivities are Belinda and Pattie, two wives treated with indifference by complacent husbands; Bernard, an inept doctor with an alcoholic wife; a virginal doormat with a new boyfriend; and a near-psychopathic uncle from hell.
Starting on Christmas Eve their antics are a series of disasters.
Graham Till’s production is taut, perfectly paced with a set that manages to fit three rooms on a small stage. The acting does full justice to the writing.
There is a star turn from David Peaty as Uncle Harvey, ex-security guard turned thuggish vigilante.
However Matthew Arnold’s good performance as the pathetic Bernard is marred by allowing his voice to drop when being diffident.
Neglected Belinda is subtly portrayed by the excellent Lyn Snowdon who lifts her from the staleness of marriage with some outrageous flirting with her sister’s boyfriend.
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