UK Theatre Network

We will have a lovely affair, you and me.

Presented by The Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, in association with Guildford’s Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Life of Riley is Alan Ayckbourn’s 74^th play. The author is also the director of this production.  George Riley has only six months left to live. We never see George Riley but he seems omnipresent, affecting everything and everyone around him – his friends and his former lovers.

Kathryn and Colin are rehearsing a scene from Ayckbourn’s very own play Relatively Speaking for an amateur production. Kathryn is frustrated because her husband Colin  never listens to what she says and suffers from a clock obsession. To compensate for the emotional vacuum she has developed a drinking habit and become a terrible gossip. When Kathryn finds out that Colin is depressed because one of his patients has been diagnosed with terminal cancer it does not take her long to discover that this patient is George Riley. She shows little respect for the doctor-patient privilege and soon everybody knows about George’s condition. Jack, George’s best friend, is absolutely devastated and starts his eulogy on George – rather prematurely - mainly talking about himself.  Meanwhile Kathryn decides that George should be included in their amateur production: “We’ve got six months so he’ll make the first performance.” Monica, George’s ex-wife of 11 years, who “spent her life running away” has been living happily with the farmer Simeon. Now she is approached by Jack and asked to take a leave of absence from Simeon to care for the dying man. The three men watch with growing unease as they are losing their women to George Riley who remains a mystery to the very end. 

This Ayckbourn is rather dark and more tragedy than comedy although there are some wonderful, funny lines, many of them given to Kathryn - she remarks on her husband’s failings: “He saves his patients’ lives only to kill them off with his tactless small talk.”  Ayckbourn set the mood of this pastoral play with music by Pink Floyd. The first half seemed slow paced and somewhat disjointed but the second half had the perfect tempo.

The cast is outstanding. Liza Goddard is excellent as Kathryn, who reacts to her husband’s emotional shortcomings with caustic remarks and an occasional sip from the bottle. Kim Wall gives a touching performance as the quiet doctor who is really a decent man but unable to express his feelings. Laura Doddington is Tamsin, a spirited woman saddled with the egocentric, insensitive philanderer Jack who openly cheats on her while preparing his daughter’s ridiculously lavish birthday party. Tamsin returns the favour by rehearsing her love scenes with George too enthusiastically. 

Until 26 March 2010, 7.45 pm.
Richmond Theatre
The Green, Richmond, Surrey
TW9 1QJ
http://www.ambassadortickets.com/2229/659/Richmond/Richmond-Theatre/Life-of-Riley-Tickets