How The Other Half Loves

Farce may not be everyone's cut-crystal glass of sherry, but if it must be farce, then let it be from a master of the form, such as Alan Ayckbourn.

In this 1969 comedy, he further complicates already complicated proceedings in such a way as to turn a rather mundane tale of bourgeois hanky-panky into a tour de force of staggering logistics.

Light comedy, punctuated by the recurring slamming of doors and littered with double entendres, isn't theoretically taxing, by any means. Ayckbourn has deepened his story, however, by demanding that the myriad threads play out simultaneously.

The grand manor of the Fosters and the less impressive abode of the Phillips coexist cheek by jowl, and Robert Lane's set combines the two residences quite gracefully.

Conversations weave in and out of each other, while the Fosters, the Phillips and visiting Winterstones negotiate living spaces simultaneously on stage.

The blocking is akin to a superbly timed dance that culminates in a true technical achievement at the end of act one, in a sort of impressive duelling dinner parties sequence.

To attempt to untangle the plot coherently is potentially ruinous to the many twists and turns of the piece - some rather obvious, some pleasantly surprising.

Suffice it to say that three couples, all of whom are connected via the men's place of business, find themselves that little bit too wrapped up in the private affairs of one another. John P. Kelly very ably directs his cast with rigorous attention to the logistics of the tightly woven storyline, and their timing is flawless.

Most of all, the cast appear to be having a ball - while the text is predictably unpredictable, every actor plays true to the characters' motives, and all provide exactly the sort of breezy entertainment one looks for on a summer night.

Runs until September 22nd; bookings at 01-6795720