Relatively Speaking at Milton Keynes Theatre

Relatively Speaking is a classic Alan Ayckbourn comedy from 1967, currently on tour before a spell in the West End. After a muted opening scene in the flat of a young couple played by Max Bennet and Kara Tointon, we are transported ( via an old 1960's map of the home counties) to rural Buckinghamshire (hurrah!) and the house of a mature, but troubled married couple played astonishingly well by Felicity Kendal and Jonathon Coy.

Here starts a whole series of misunderstandings that are brilliantly written. We, the audience, gradually understand what is going on and watch the characters on stage struggle to make sense of what is going on. There is a huge amount of fun to be had from the linguistic pyrotechnics, and even more from the silences that greet yet another piece of a mixed up jigsaw. Director Lindsay Posner is to be congratulated on a superb retelling of this play set, as it was written in the mid sixties. I looked for, and found, the orange decor that found it's way into all our homes.