Bedroom Farce

published: Sun, 1-Oct-2006   |   updated: Wed, 25-Sep-2024

Nick in Bedroom Farce by Alan Ayckbourn for the Dulwich Players at St. Barnabas Hall, Dulwich Village. Directed by Brian Burch. October 1987.

The play is wonderful and hilarious and, in typical fashion for Ayckbourn, the staging was unique: three bedrooms in different houses, all visible on stage at the same time. There were four couples, one for each bedroom and another couple who flitted from house to house, disrupting everyone.

I had a great part, on stage the entire performance. Yes, that's right, I played Nick, the character who'd done his back in, and therefore was stuck in bed the entire play. Great stuff.

And my character's wife was played by the best actress I'd had the opportunity to act with up until then, Jenny Gammon. She was lovely, talented, full of grace, and I adored her and couldn't believe my luck. She'd acted professionally for a while, but had decided to settle down, get married and have children. I doubt she realized it, but she taught me a lot about acting and how to approach the craft.

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