Relatively Speaking at Bromley Little Theatre (11th April)

Relatively Speaking is one of the earlier Alan Ayckbourn plays and has the classic Ayckbourn set up – you pretty much know what to expect but you also know it will make you laugh out loud if performed well.

Set in the ‘60s, two 20-somethings, Ginny and Greg, start a whirlwind romance. The more experienced Ginny tries to hide the fact that she has been having an affair with her married boss, but flowers and expensive chocolates in her flat make Greg distrustful.  Ginny thinks that Greg is probably ‘the real thing’ but is acutely aware that Greg is very suspicious. She wants to put the past behind her, so in a desperate attempt to finally put an end to her fling – and which for her has petered out anyway - she decides to take the train to her boss’s country home with the aim of telling him that it is all over and to leave her alone for good. She knows that his wife is generally at church on a Sunday morning, so she chooses then to take her surprise trip.

But she tells Greg that that she is going to see her parents, and, believing her, on a whim he decides to make the same journey, planning to surprise her there with an offer of marriage once he has met her mum and dad. Of course, in the event, mum decides not to go to church that day, and the scene is set for a wealth of confusions as who is who and the relationships between the parties. Glorious and hilarious scenes follow.

The Bromley Little Theatre company pulls off this farce with word perfect-aplomb. Particularly impressive was Marion Barker playing Ginny’s mother, but all the actors carry off their parts with great skill and confidence. After all, getting a complicated comedy plot right is difficult enough for professionals, and this amateur group did it proud. This was yet another success for this gem of a production house set in the heart of Bromley.

Contributed by Clive Nash