Ayckbourn’s classic comedy of missed meetings, romance and relationships is here revived at the Queens Theatre Hornchurch proving an enduring favourite for audiences.

Throughout the evening as an audience, we follow 4 couples interwoven by friendships, relationships and family, through a series of parties and meetings taking place across three bedrooms in one night. Ayckbourn’s genius is all to clear to see with the relationships and action interwoven together and clearly defined characters throughout.

Some of the themes haven’t aged terribly well such as partners seen as aggressive but any issues are tackled well by director Alex Thorpe and we are under no illusion at any point we are watching anything apart from a period piece. This is helped by Alys Whitehead’s design placing us perfectly in the 70’s. From the perfectly pitched clothing of the young couple Jan & Malcolm through to the three bedrooms all on separate levels appropriately wallpapered. This facilitates an almost vignette-like style to the show. With scenes taking place from room to room, it almost feels more like a TV sitcom as opposed to a stage show. This feeling is compounded by the ability to see the stage lights for each of the sets, making us feel as an audience like we are viewing a taping on a sound stage. Beth Duke’s musical interludes linking scenes also add to this 70’s sitcom feel.

The onstage chemistry between Nicholas Prasad and Alana Ramsey (Malcolm and Jan) is wonderful to watch and they perfectly capture the early stages of serious relationships. Similarly, the relationship between Paul Cawley and Louise Bangay (Ernest and Delia, the eldest of the couples) is comic from the very truthful interactions between them. Ayckourn expertly show us the difference between years of relationships to comedic effect. Special mention should be made for Paul Cawley who proved himself a master at comic line delivery, earning himself a Basil Fawlty-esque explosion in the second act which is truly a thing of hilarity.

There is however something missing. The pacing between scenes seems marginally slower than it should be, as is the case also for some of the action. The physical comedy at times seems obviously choreographed and it was also a shame to see a member of the cast still on book by the time press night had come around.

This is a fun evening at the theatre and for those local to the Queen’s probably worth a visit for an entertaining night but may struggle to pull audiences out from London. The production delivery exactly what keeps Bedroom Farce enduring but offers nothing new. It is like watching a recording of a loved classic film; it’s still good but lacks the freshness it once had.

⭐️⭐️⭐️