How the Other Half Loves
Alan Ayckbourn
A technically dazzling comedy that features two different households sharing the same stage space simultaneously. The story involves three couples, two of whom are having an affair. The play’s centerpiece is a dinner party occurring on two different nights but performed at the same time, with the actors interacting with two separate families at once. This structural audacity creates high-velocity comedy and sharp insights into the complexities of social class and marital deception. It remains a tour-de-force of stagecraft and a favorite of both critics and audiences for its sheer theatrical brilliance.
Fiona Foster: A sophisticated woman whose affair with her husband's employee sets off a chain of elaborate lies involving an innocent third couple. Frank Foster: Fiona’s bumbling, well-meaning husband, who remains hilariously oblivious to the domestic and social chaos unfolding right in front of him. Bob Phillips: Frank’s hot-tempered employee and Fiona’s lover, whose attempts to cover his tracks only lead to further disaster and confusion.
First Performance: 1969, at Library Theatre, Scarborough
A huge commercial success that secured Ayckbourn's reputation for technical innovation and comedic genius.
Original Actors: Robert Morley, Heather Sears