Time of My Life

By Alan Ayckbourn

Synopsis:

To celebrate The Mission Theatre's 5th birthday, Next Stage are proud to present this stunning black comedy by patron Alan Ayckbourn. Most appropriately, the play opens with a family Birthday party in the Italian restaurant Essa de Calvi. It is January 18th and Laura is celebrating her 54th Birthday with husband Gerry, sons Glyn and Adam, and their respective partners Stephanie and Maureen. An astute and ruthless self-made businessman, Gerry has weathered economic storms and recessions and is confident of doing the same in the current climate. Whilst disappointed that his eldest son Glyn has not lived up to expectations, and that Adam seems to be wasting his life, Gerry still remains complacent and confident in his own success and marriage.
As the end of the evening approaches, tensions between Glyn and his wife Stephanie begin to surface and Adam’s new girlfriend Maureen regrets the alcohol she has imbibed to give her the necessary confidence to get through the evening. With the youngsters in disarray, Laura and Gerry decide to have a conciliatory nightcap with their long-time friend and restaurant owner, Ernesto Calvino.

Up until this point the audience have enjoyed a conventional first scene with Alan Ayckbourn’s trademarks - witty dialogue, incisive repartee and closely observed family dynamics - all in evidence. Then comes a twist: with the dramatic craftsmanship for which he is famed, Ayckbourn whirls his audience into three separate time zones and for the remainder of the play, Laura and Gerry continue in the present, but Glyn and Stephanie’s story moves on into the future whilst Adam and Maureen move backwards in time.

Staged in the round, the events of the play all occur in the Essa de Calvi, allowing the audience to feel that they too are in the restaurant, close observers of the dramas and dénouements that engulf Laura and her family.

A stellar cast of leading company actors bring this brilliantly entertaining play to The Mission as an appropriate celebration of the theatre’s 5th Birthday and a tribute to patron Alan Ayckbourn’s continued support and affection for Next Stage.

Dates: Tuesday 26th - Saturday 30th January at 7.30pm, plus Saturday matinee at 2.30pm

Location: The Mission Theatre, Bath

Tickets: £10 (£8 Concessions)

Box Office: 01225 428600 / (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 01225 463362 / http://www.bathfestivals.org.uk

Supper menu:

Elizabethan Pork (a rich casserole with apricots)
or
Feta and Mediterranean Vegetable Tart
or
White Chocolate Birthday Cake
or
Lemon Meringue Pie
or
Teas and coffees to finish.

Director/s | Cast:

Ann Garner

Director

George Gent

Gerry

Kay Francksen

Laura

Nicky Wilkins

Glyn

Toby Auld

Adam

Liz Wilson

Stephanie

Rosie Magee

Maureen

Ian Garforth

Waiter

Review/s of Time Of My Life:

Review 1: Mission has the time of its life with Fifth Birthday celebrations

Like most of us, playwright Alan Ayckbourn is intrigued by eavesdropping on other people's conversations while enjoying a meal out. And it was this predilection that resulted in the play Time of My Life which dates from the end of the last century where the audience are the eavesdroppers, witnessing the ordinary traumas of a normal Yorkshire family. You can become an eavesdropper yourself when Next…click here to read the whole review.

By Christopher Hansford, Bath Chronicle

Review 2: Review

At the end of a special gala night to officially celebrate the Mission Theatre's fifth birthday, artistic director Ann Garner made an official announcement. After many months – probably years – of careful negotiation, the council, she said, now seemed willing to grant a secure tenancy to Next Stage to replace the current lease which expires in five years' time. What that does, she said, was to…click here to read the whole review.

By Christopher Hansford, The Bath Chronicle

Review 3: Venue Magazine: Review

Next Stage Theatre Company knows that a good birthday party needs more than cake and balloons. For the fifth anniversary of their move to The Mission Theatre, they offer a bit of infidelity, some crushing revelations, epic social humiliation and a couple of untimely deaths - all provided by patron Alan Ayckbourn's script. Three couples (parents, their two sons and their partners) and a team of clowning…click here to read the whole review.