Review: Bedroom Farce at Cast Doncaster

“We all belly laughed… a huge success by JKL Productions…”

Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn, Cast Doncaster

By Grace Sansom

It was a happy accident that I saw this production on World Theatre Day. In many ways, JKL’s opening night of Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce was a celebration of what makes live theatre great. The night was sold out: full of friends, family, drama lovers and local culture vultures, all ready for laughs, entertainment and drama. And the company delivered just that.

Ayckbourn is known for his trademark comic mastery, blending farce with dark, suburban comedy, often featuring intricate structural gimmicks and character-driven drama. Bedroom Farce tells the tale of four very different couples, all interlinked over one hilariously turbulent evening. The couples all contrast against each other; they are from different generations and constitutions, and their bedrooms give us insight into all these conflicts, hence the play’s title. However, they are all united by the need to feel seen by their partner – to varying degrees of sanity, though…

The play’s antagonists, if you will, are Trevor (James Halliday) and Susannah (Charlotte Tonkinson). We don’t see the bedroom of this couple, whereas we do for the others. They’re the odd ones out from the beginning. And odd is right. Tonkinson’s Susannah is delightfully unhinged and absurd. The hilarious mantras she repeats to herself and her constant expression of doe-eyed bewilderment are fantastic and echo Ayckbourn’s farcical experiments. Trevor and Susannah are made for each other: both overly self-involved and too busy with that to notice the needs of anyone else entirely. Match made in heaven.

Moving onto our other three couples and their bedrooms, they make up the set (designed by Andrew Leverton and Cath Leverton). The lighting (David Griffiths) alternates between whichever couple has the action. We have Ernest (John Deighton) and Delia (Jan Townend) – our oldest couple, and Trevor’s parents, who would never dream of talking about S-E-X and get very excited about sardines on toast in bed. We have Kate (Maddy Allsop) and Malcolm (Michael Forrester), a very normal couple who get very excited by flatpack furniture and hiding each other’s shoes.

And finally, we have the sanest of the bunch, Jan (Lizzy Hewitt) – Trevor’s ex – and Nick (Patrick James). Hewitt and James’ performances ground the production. Hewitt is balanced, sassy and funny when needed, but also emotionally developed, and James’ comedic timing was genius at points. Kate and Malcolm are having a party and Trevor, Susannah and Jan are all off to it. Nick must stay home due to a spine injury and watching him get into all sorts of positions to retrieve his book throughout the night is side-splitting, especially in comparison with the shrieking drama of the party.

The drama stems from Trevor and Susannah’s conflict. There were points in this where the comedy of the piece clouded what the issues really were, making a bit of a hot mess of the action. There’s a scene where Trevor and Susannah physically fight and it’s hard to tell whether it is all play or not. It doesn’t really matter, though, as the chaos is funny and the audience was happily entertained. Me included.

I left Cast’s Second Space all abuzz – as did the whole audience, it felt like. Yes, there were tiny line mishaps and a slight lighting accident, but it didn’t matter in the slightest. We’d all just watched an amateur cast smash one of Britain’s most beloved plays. All actors relished the charms of their kooky characters and had signature styles that were well developed. We all belly laughed – the space was filled by a cacophony of laughter, love, joy and support. This was a huge success by JKL Productions. It was my first one and I’ll definitely be back for more.

Bedroom Farce plays at Cast Doncaster until Sunday 29 March. Tickets are available here.

Grace Sansom is a freelance theatre critic and arts and cultural journalist based in Doncaster, covering productions in Doncaster, Sheffield, Leeds and York. She has been reviewing theatre for 7 years, published locally and nationally, for digital and in print publications. In 2023, Grace won a place on the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Society’s Emerging Critic Scheme, reviewing and commentating for The Herald. Grace has worked in arts marketing and communications for 5 years, now working in Digital Content for the Booker Prizes. Grace also runs the Doncaster Creatives’ Book Club, writing and publishing book content on their popular Substack. You can find Grace on Instagram.