Relatively Speaking

Relatively Speaking

By Alan Ayckbourn

Directed by Colleen Batson

An amateur production by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd

Ayckbourn’s  first big West End hit is a stunning piece of comic craftsmanship which takes a single misunderstanding  and keeps it unbelievably afloat with hilarious consequences.  Relatively Speaking was first produced in 1967 at the Duke of York’s Theatre starring Celia Johnson and Richard Briers and was the first of Ayckbourn’s plays to achieve widespread critical acclaim.  Over half a century later it still stands the test of time.

Ayckbourn mixes the comic ingredients into what has been called a ‘superbly constructed meringue of a play’ by choosing as his model what may be the most perfect of all well-made comedies, Oscar Wilde’s The Importance Of Being Earnest.   What characterises both plays are the standard ingredients of the well-made play: secrets known to some but withheld from others, quid-pro-quo conversations in which two speakers, actually at odds, believe they are discussing the same person, and, of course, assumed identities.

Last performed at BLT in 2003. So whether you re-aquaint yourself with a comedy masterpiece or experience classic Ayckbourn for the first time, you will undoubtedly share the joy of theatre at its very best.

This production will also be performed at Hever Castle, Edenbridge, Kent, on the 23rd and 24th May 2026.

Alan Ayckbourn’s Relatively Speaking is a night of marvellous discourse, mistaken identity and down right debacle. London Theatre Reviews

This early work from one of the British theatre’s greatest talents provides a welcome, and thoroughly enjoyable, celebration of the playwright’s craft. Everything Theatre

Cast

In order of appearance

Creatives

Special thanks to Simon Holland for his support during rehearsals