Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn: festive fun in February?

Alan Ayckbourn’s brilliantly observed Absurd Person Singular is at the venue from Tuesday to Saturday, February 25-29.

Evening performances start at 7.45pm with a Wednesday and Saturday matinee at 2.30pm.

Tickets cost £18-£25.50. Call the box office on 01323 412000 or visit eastbournetheatres.co.uk.

An Eastbourne Theatres spokesperson said: “Three married couples. Three kitchens. Three Christmas parties. But while the action might centre around three consecutive Christmas Eves the content is very much relatable at any time of the year.

“Sidney Hopcroft, a small-time tradesman, persuades wife Jane to throw a Christmas party hoping to find favour with a bank manager and local architect. As the celebrations get under way, class differences and naked ambition combine to hilarious effect as, one by one, the characters seek refuge in Jane’s kitchen.

“Over the next two years, the Jacksons and Brewster-Wrights take turns to host festivities. But Sidney’s star has begun to rise and roles are increasingly reversed as the cracks in the other couples’ marriages begin to show.

“Alan Ayckbourn’s comic masterpiece of social climbing in 1970s suburbia fuses a potent mix of farce and black comedy.

“Olivier and Tony Award winning playwright and national treasure, Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s 81 plays have been produced worldwide. Notable successes include: The Norman Conquests, Relatively Speaking, Bedroom Farce and Communicating Doors. “This show, which opens its 2020 tour in Eastbourne, comes from producers London Classic Theatre who last visited the Devonshire Park with the critically acclaimed, My Mother Said I Never Should and in 2020 celebrate their 20th anniversary presenting high quality touring theatre.”

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