Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne
from July 3rd to 12th, 2025
Review by Tony Flood
Like any good farce, Alan Ayckbourn’s 1970s Bedroom Farce is packed with silly misunderstandings, awkward situations and moments of slapstick.
There are less frantic entrances and exits than I expected but this Phil&Ben Production at the Devonshire Park Theatre, Eastbourne, does justice to a parody of married life that relies on razor-sharp dialogue between four couples in the intimacy of their bedrooms as much as madcap moments.
Trevor and Susannah, who seem to be on the point of breaking up, ruin Malcolm and Kate’s housewarming party by having a row. Their selfish and idiotic behaviour, superbly projected by Pete Ashmore and Louise Beresford, also brings chaos to the lives of Trevor’s parents Ernest and Delia and friends Jan and Nick, who cannot attend the party with his wife because he has a painful back injury
The action takes place in three bedrooms, all of which are on stage in fixed positions. We don’t see the actual party or the bedroom of Susannah and Trevor who invade those of the other couples.
Phil Stewart, who formed Phil&Ben Productions with director Ben Roddy in 2016, brilliantly shows Nick’s pain and frustration as he falls out of bed trying to reach his book and later ends up with his wife Jan (well played by Katy Dean) on top of him.
While Nick is pinned down, Jan takes the opportunity to tell him that she was caught kissing her ex, Trevor, at the party, causing Susannah to fly into hysterics.
Simon Pothecary and Lucy-Jane Quinlan also show excellent timing and stage presence in portraying the party hosts. They play off each other so well in exploiting both physical and verbal comedy involving marital issues.
The roles of the older couple, Ernest and Delia, provide less opportunities but George Telfer and Corrinne Wicks make the most of them as they react to being kept awake most of the night after celebrating their wedding anniversary at a restaurant. And their references to spiralling prices could apply equally today as they did back in the 1970s.
Of course, Bedroom Farce is ‘dated’ in some ways as there is the frequent use of corded telephones prior to the existence of mobiles and answering services. But Roddy’s direction embraces the nostalgia with the considerable assistance of Andy Newell’s design and Geoff Gilder’s costumes.
This entertaining play deserves to attract bigger audiences during its run until July 12th than attended Thursday’s first night.
Pictures provided by Phil Stewart.
* The third of three plays being staged by Phil&Ben Productions at Devonshire Park Theatre is Murder by Misadventure from July 17-26.
