Addingham Players are presenting Alan Ayckbourn’s brilliantly funny and complex play this week, How the Other Half Loves.

This is a fast paced, action packed farce, full of the intrigue and mistaken identities associated with the form but also with a real examination of the relationships between couples. And oh what a tangled web they weave…!

In a beautiful and cleverly designed set, we are invited into two homes at once – cunningly identified differently, with wallpapers and furnishings. One is the home Frank and Fiona, the manager’s house – comfortable and sophisticated. Frank is a caring husband, traditional, proud of his wife and tolerant of her more frivolous life-style. He tells a simple story in long form but doesn’t seem to notice that his wife has ceased to listen.

The other half of the set is occupied by Terri and Bob – a younger couple whose relationship is significantly more strained, especially since a child made an appearance in their lives. Bob is distant from his wife and simultaneously very demanding of her – needing her to meet his every need.

From very early on, it is clear that something is afoot between these two couples which could very quickly derail both relationships. So, to spice things up, we are introduced to Mr and Mrs William Featherstone – the fall-guys, who will unwittingly become the characters upon whom all excuses will be cast.

So, whilst the Featherstones are invited to both homes on subsequent evenings, the dinner parties are played out simultaneously, with William and wife Mary, having to switch seamlessly between the two venues (on swivel chairs) and the dramas of both meals are played out – hilariously and revealingly! There is a lot going on and this brilliant cast – Hugh Lambert, Gill Stead, David Tomlinson, Carol Butler, Neil Holt and Pauline Ashworth – do a brilliant job of keeping the action and the humour going.

This being Ayckbourn, it is fair to say that there is a darker undercurrent to the story, but it only serves to make the play more compelling.

Directed by Lisa Jones-Tinsley, this fantastic production will begin on Tuesday 25th April and play until Saturday 29th. Tickets can be bought on ticketsource.co.uk/adg or by calling 07849 450489