Relatively Speaking By Alan Ayckbourn

About the show

Ayckbourn’s first big West End hit is a stunning piece of comic craftsmanship which takes a single misunderstanding and keeps it unbelievably afloat with hilarious consequences. Relatively Speaking was first produced in 1967 at the Duke of York’s Theatre starring Celia Johnson and Richard Briers and was the first of Ayckbourn’s plays to achieve widespread critical acclaim. Over half a century later it still stands the test of time.

Ayckbourn mixes the comic ingredients into what has been called a ‘superbly constructed meringue of a play’ by choosing as his model what may be the most perfect of all well-made comedies, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest. What characterises both plays are the standard ingredients of the well-made play: secrets known to some but withheld from others, quid-pro-quo conversations in which two speakers, actually at odds, believe they are discussing the same person, and, of course, assumed identities.

Last performed at BLT in 2003. So whether you re-acquaint yourself with a comedy masterpiece or experience classic Ayckbourn for the first time, you will undoubtedly share the joy of theatre at its very best.

‘Alan Ayckbourn’s Relatively Speaking is a night of marvellous discourse, mistaken identity and downright debacle.’ London Theatre Reviews

‘This early work from one of the British theatre’s greatest talents provides a welcome, and thoroughly enjoyable, celebration of the playwright’s craft.’ Everything Theatre