Taking Steps

At The Pines, a reputedly haunted house and former brothel, Elizabeth is planning on leaving her husband, Roland. She has called on her brother, Mark, to comfort Roland when he finds her farewell note. However Mark, a man whose monotone sends people to sleep, is preoccupied with the fact his fiancée, Kitty, who jilted him at the altar, has been picked up by the police apparently for soliciting.

And so begins Ayckbourne's only true farce.
Written specifically for theatre-in-the-round, the traditional farcical element of doors is replaced by floors with all three floors of the building - attic, master bedroom and living room - present on the same level. The six characters try to sort out their lives running, jumping, lurching or tip-toeing in and out of rooms and up and down 'stairs' during one hectic night and morning.