Theatre review: Absurd Person Singular
Garrick Theatre
West Street, WC2H 9ND – map
Rating: ** (out of 5)
Review by: Alexa Williamson
It’s the 1970s and we’re in dinner party territory – which many have done before and better than Alan Ayckbourn on this occasion. Throughout the three acts of this play, which incorporates kitsch sets and the excitement of a new-fangled thing called a ‘dishwasher’, we learn about the relationships between three middle-class couples, which come as across as unoriginal characters with corny lines. With the action taking place ove three consecutive Christmases, we learn more than we wanted to know about the ins and outs of their dysfunctional relationships.
Despite starring the versatile Jenny Seagrove and Jane Horrocks, who is generally considered a ‘little darling’ of stage and film, the sets, costuming, dialogue and plot are all lacklustre. Acting from Horrocks and Seagrove is weak while that from Lia Williams as Eva, an unstable woman who contemplates suicide, is overdone.
I’m surprised that someone as famous as Ayckbourn could concoct something so cheesy and, sadly, trite. If you’re looking for a 70s-80s piece that’s similar, check out some good, proper farce like Ray Cooney’s Run for Your Wife or Marc Camelotti’s ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’ or the interesting cocktail party-social drama Abigail’s Party by Mike Leigh.
Further information:
Absurd Person Singular synopsis (Wikipedia)
Alan Ayckbourn’s biography (Wikipedia)
Garrick Theatre’s history (Wikipedia)
