Mistaken identities. Lovers or fathers? Girlfriends or daughters? It’s not something out of Shakespeare, the master at such mixups, but a renowned 1968 play by Alan Ayckbourn, an English master of comedies that play on marital relationships. Eclectic Full Contact Theatre performs one of Ayckbourn’s best-known works in this genre, Relatively Speaking, at the Bramble Arts Loft in Edgewater. Andrew Pond directs the four-character play.
The story is silly, the acting is competent but the final result is a bit anemic—although, to be fair, the opening night audience was wildly enthusiastic.
The play takes place during a summer weekend—in London and in the country. It’s set in the swinging '60s, as we might surmise from the hairdos and fashions of the two female characters: Ginny, a young woman (Alexis Vaselopulos), and Sheila (Kat Evans), a sprightly middle-aged woman, married to Philip (Christopher John Grella). Costumes are by Hannah Keeler.
Ginny and her boyfriend Greg (Timothy Merkle), two young professionals, live in a small London flat; as the play opens she’s are getting ready for a Sunday in the country visiting her parents. Greg is puzzled by some of the morning's happenings—strange phone calls, another man's slippers under the bed, and gifts of flowers and candy arriving for Ginny.
Greg is also a little grumpy about her bring gone for “half a weekend” and decides to follow Ginny so he can meet her parents. He arrives before she does. What he doesn’t know is that Ginny is going to the country to confront Philip, her employer and sometime lover, to tell him their affair is over. Sheila is Philip’s wife. Greg assumes Sheila and Philip are Ginny’s parents and decides to tell them he wants their permission to marry Ginny. Philip fears Greg is the younger man he thinks Sheila Is having an affair with. Confusion ensues and really never ends.
Relatively Speaking is filled with laugh lines and verges on silliness. If there were more doors being slammed, I would call it a farce. Ayckbourn says, in his introduction to his play, that he was asked to write “a play that would make people laugh when their seaside summer holidays were spoiled by the rain and they came into the theatre to get dry …. This seemed to me as worthwhile a reason for writing a play as any, so I tried to comply.” That's a minimal theatrical goal and the audience seemed to think he succeeded.
Director Pond keeps the action and conversation moving briskly and the four actors are up to the task. All four actors add movement to their performances but Grella as Philip goes overboard with his exaggerated mannerisms.
Bramble’s main stage space has a raised thrust stage that allows for flexible design. Of the two settings, Ginny and Greg’s flat looks a bit down-market. Some '60s poster or album decor would add some flair. The garden patio at the home of Sheila and Philip is minimally designed but the simple furnishings look appropriate for their status. Scenic design is by Daniel Houle with lighting by Amina Gilbert. Sound designer is Kate Schnetzer. My plus one and I thought the sound was a bit muddy; the crew needs to do a sound check to bring clarity (not volume) to the sound. Tricia Horner-Carver is stage manager.
Relatively Speaking by Eclectic Full Contact Theatre continues at the Bramble Arts Loft, 5545 N. Clark St., through May 24. Running time is 2.5 hours including one intermission. Tickets are $30-$35.
For more information on this and other productions, see theatreinchicago.com.
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