Bedroom Farce
Alan Ayckbourn
This highly innovative comedy takes place simultaneously in three different bedrooms over the course of one long night. The plot is driven by Trevor and Susannah, a highly neurotic couple whose collapsing marriage disrupts the sleep and sanity of three other pairs. As the dysfunctional duo migrates from one bedroom to another, they force their friends and parents to confront their own marital shortcomings. The play is celebrated for its clever use of space and its sharp, funny observations on the co-dependence and mundanity of long-term relationships, proving that the most dramatic battles often happen at home.
Trevor: A self-absorbed and emotionally volatile man whose inability to communicate with his wife creates a ripple effect of chaos for everyone they know. Susannah: Trevor’s equally neurotic wife, whose public outbursts and private insecurities drive the couple to seek help from their increasingly exasperated friends. Delia: Trevor’s mother, a traditionalist who attempts to ignore her son’s marital crisis while focusing on her own eccentric domestic routines and husband's health.
First Performance: 1975, at Library Theatre, Scarborough
Instant West End success; nominated for multiple Tony and Olivier awards and remains a staple of international theater.
Original Actors: Stephen Moore, Maria Aitken, Michael Gough