Charlie Brooks – photo supplied

 

HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES – NOV 27-DEC 2
Matrimonial mishaps and the odd dinner party debacle are guaranteed as a host of top TV and stage names brings a classic comedy to life at Norwich Theatre Royal this winter.
How The Other Half Loves is one of Alan Ayckbourn’s best-known plays with a strong farcical edge and will feature a number of familiar faces when it is performed from November 27 to December 2.
Acclaimed actress Caroline Langrishe, who played auctioneer Charlotte Cavendish in Lovejoy as well as starring in the likes of Holby City and Judge John Deed, plays Fiona Foster who is having an affair with Bob Philips, who is portrayed by Leon Ockenden who recently played Coronation Street’s shady Will Chatterton.
They also prove less than adept at covering up the affair from their spouses played by Robert Daws who is a familiar TV face from the likes of The Royal, Outside Edge and Roger Roger, and Charlie Brooks aka the devious Janine Butcher in EastEnders.
Things become even more complicated when a third couple, played by Matthew Cottle (Game On) and Sara Crowe (Four Weddings And A Funeral), are falsely accused of adultery.
Everything comes to a head during two disastrous dinner parties on successive nights which are both shown on stage at the same time and throw the future of all three couples into jeopardy.
Penned by Alan Ayckbourn, the play was an incredible success when it opened in the West End in 1970 at the Lyric Theatre running for an incredible 869 performances. It then enjoyed a major West End revival last year where it once again thrilled audiences.
This tour will also help mark Ayckbourn’s 56th year as a theatre director and 58th as a playwright. To date, he has penned 80 plays and his work has been translated into over 35 languages. He also became the first British playwright to receive both Olivier and Tony Special Lifetime Achievement Awards and was knighted in 1997 for his services to theatre.
John Bultitude, of Norwich Theatre Royal, said audiences will get the chance to enjoy a true comedy classic. He said: “At turns heart-wrenching and hilarious, Ayckbourn’s tale of social graces and personal misunderstanding remains one of the celebrated writer’s most famous plays.”

 

Listing:
How The Other Half Loves, Monday 27 November-Saturday 2 December at 7.30pm, and Wed and Sat matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets £8-£28.50. Discounts for Friends, Corporate Club, Over-60s, Under-18s, and Groups. Captioned performance on Wed 29 November at 2.30pm. Audio-described performance on Saturday 2 December at 2.30pm.
To book, log onto www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk or call the box office on 01603 630000.