Presented by Next Stage Theatre Company
Tuesday 14th - Friday 17th May 2024 7:30pm
Matinee Saturday 18th May 2024 2:00pm
A young woman - Lily - appears in her garden carrying a washing basket; in the next door terraced house Rob - an out-of-work actor - sees her over the hedge and is instantly attracted to her. Just a couple of problems: Rob is in his 60’s, Lily is in her 20’s and Rob is in lockdown in London August 2020, whilst Lily is in the middle of the Blitz in London 1942.
Thus begins Ayckbourn’s 85th play - a clever, time-travelling exploration of how - despite the 72 years that separate them - both Rob and Lily are living through tumultuous years, with Britain at war, families torn apart, the nation experiencing shortages and deprivations and the future seeming uncertain. What prevails is mankind’s indomitable human spirit… and love.
For its 30th Birthday production it seemed only right that Next Stage Theatre Company should stage a play written by its long-time friend and patron Sir Alan Ayckbourn. Renowned for his witty and insightful writing, Ayckbourn’s The Girl Next Door was hailed as: “...inventive, empathetic, timely and fun” (The Times) when it opened in Scarborough at The Stephen Joseph Theatre in 2021.
So Happy 30th Birthday Next Stage! We hope everyone will come along and join in the party and celebrate throughout the week with this Bath premiere, staged in-the-round and featuring Mike Stevens as Rob and Perrine Maillot as Lily and directed by Next Stage’s Artistic Director Ann Ellison BEM.
CAST
Review
The Girl Next Door
by Alan Ayckbourn
The Mission Theatre
Next Stage Theatre Company May 2024
What's not to love about Alan Ayckbourn? One of our greatest living playwrights, author of classics such as A Chorus of Disapproval and Absurd Person Singular, writer of witty, pithy dialogue, and observer of human banality, frailty and triumph. I initially found myself amazed that he has written ninety plays, but then amazement instantly gave way to the acknowledgment that I would have expected nothing less from the master. (I did once meet a theatre couple who "weren't that fussed about Ayckbourn," but thankfully I never had to work with them again, poor souls.) That this production is personally supported by the man himself has added an extra frisson to Next Stage Theatre Company's 30th anniversary celebrations.
The technical challenge set here is not just the time and space of The Norman Conquests, but one of an even grander scale, more akin to Tom's Midnight Garden. As shown in the Things That Go Bump trilogy, the supernatural can be a vehicle for exploring human nature, and the comparison of eras in this play is apt. The personal struggles of our grandparent's generation in the face of genuine adversity stand in stark contrast to the vacuity of our times with its first world problems, mostly of our own making. Our "hero's journey" virtue signalling pales in comparison, neatly encapsulated by the pajama zoom meeting and the chore of answering fan mail.
As always, members of this theatre group go the extra mile to create an authentic atmosphere, right down to the Dig For Victory garden and Belfast sink. Costumes and props were pitch-perfect as were the music choices and the two- garden set was skillfully designed. Lighting worked brilliantly to emphasise the split set and the tour de force of the air raid marked the segue into the somber and poignant ending.
All four actors had great chemistry and fully developed their characters, bringing out the humanity of people when facing life's problems, and reinforcing the universal truth that more connects us than divides us. This was beautifully portrayed particularly in the opening of act two. Today's emancipated women and yesterday's housewives nurture those they love. Today's aging men and yesterday's conscripts know they are regarded as disposable. Societal roles and expectations of men and women may have experienced superficial changes, particularly in the perceptions of those who consider themselves enlightened, but only two generations separate us. We're really not so different.
Ayckbourn's words are so well-crafted, we can parse whole essays and layers of meaning behind each sentence. Deftly delivered moments of humour and tenderly delivered moments of poignancy reveal a writer at the top of his game, and the talented cast and crew of Next Stage Theatre more than did this work justice.
Congratulations to you all and here's to many more birthdays to come.
Rebecca Beard
Rehearsal Photos
