Confusions
Alan Ayckbourn
A series of five interconnected one-act plays (Mother Figure, Drinking Companion, Between Mouthfuls, Gosforth’s Fete, and A Talk in the Park) that explore the themes of human isolation and the failure of communication. From a mother who treats all adults like children to a disastrous village fete broadcast over a public address system, the plays range from slapstick farce to poignant social observation. While each piece works individually, together they form a comprehensive and often hilarious survey of the confusions that define human relationships. It is one of the most frequently performed works in amateur and professional theater.
Lucy (Mother Figure): A mother so isolated by childcare that she has lost the ability to interact with adults as anything other than naughty children. Harry (Drinking Companion): A lonely, unsuccessful seducer who uses desperate and transparent tactics to engage a young woman in a hotel bar. Gosforth (Gosforth’s Fete): A panicked publican whose attempts to run a perfect village fete are destroyed by a series of accidental, amplified revelations.
First Performance: 1974, at Library Theatre, Scarborough
A major success; praised for its versatility and its keen, often painful, observation of social embarrassment.
Original Actors: Christopher Godwin, Alison Skilbeck