Review: BEDROOM FARCE in Westport

Alan Ayckbourn's 1975 play, Bedroom Farce, is as good as it gets at the Westport Country Playhouse.

The play is about four couples whose relationships are connected. No, it's not about sex. Delia and Ernest (Cecilia Hart and Paxton Whitehead) have been married forever and are about to go to their favorite restaurant to celebrate their anniversary. Their son and daughter-in-law, Trevor and Susannah (Carson Elrod and Saran Manton), have just quarreled and are going separately to the housewarming party thrown by their friends, Malcom and Kate (Scott Drummond and Claire Karpen). They know they will run into Trevor's old flame, Jan (Nicole Lowrance). Meanwhile, Jan's husband, Nick (Matthew Greer), is home with excruciating back pain.

The bedrooms in the play belong to the parents and to the friends of Susannah and Trevor. Theirs is the only bedroom that isn't part of the set. The transitions from bedroom to bedroom during the single night in which the play takes place are executed with military precision and synchronization as everyone is forced to deal with Trevor and Susannah's neuroses.

Although the play is well-constructed, some of its characters are not. We get that Susannah and Trevor were made for each other in the worst possible way. She's insecure. He feels entitled. Both offer nothing but are destructive in their own way. Why people other than his parents put up with them is a mystery. Who would want friends like that? What on earth did Jan, with her self-confidence and high self-esteem, ever see in Trevor? She has little enough sympathy for her husband's agony, so it is hard to understand why she was once deeply involved in Trevor. Knowing their potential volatility, why did Malcolm and Kate invite them to their party? Finally, Kate and Malcolm's constant pranks get tired long before the end of the first act. It doesn't seem to in their character. Ayckbourn has some 'splainin' to do.

The cast, the director, and the design crew were perfect. Previously done as a Script in Hand production with Elrod, Bedroom Farce is the fifth Ayckbourn play fully produced at the Westport Country Playhouse. Director John Tillinger is perhaps the definitive director for Ayckbourn's plays, making everyone in the ensemble shine. Marjorie Bradley Kellogg's set reflected the couples' various tastes - traditional for Ernest and Delia, contemporary clean lines for Nick and Jan, and clumsy DIY for Malcolm and Kate. Laurie Churba's costumes were also just right, especially the ones for oddballs Trevor and Susannah. The dress she chose for Jan made a strong statement about the character. Just because Jan is straight with people doesn't mean can't be fun and sexy, too. John Demous's lighting was a huge part of the play, requiring both perfect timing to keep the show going at a fast clip.

Bedroom Farce runs through September 13 at the Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport. Check out the videos on youtube.com (WestportPlayhouse), and then buy your tickets by calling 203-227-4177 or visiting www.westportplayhouse.org.

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