The Stage

If I Were You

Published Tuesday 1 June 2010 at 20:06 by Sheila Tracy

Alan Ayckbourn is a genius whose astonishing record number of plays have amused and delighted audiences for the past 50 years and still he continues to come up with new slants on the human psyche.

The Rodales are a Yorkshire family with a heavy handed dad, a mouse like mum, a son with artistic tendencies and a daughter whose husband is employed by dad in his furniture business.

Only Ayckbourn could come up with an idea so preposterous that it defies belief but which changes the Rodale family forever. Overnight dad turns into the meek Mum character and mum wakes up as the aggressive Dad.

A brilliant transformation by Richard Stacey from loud-mouthed bully to considerate parent, much to the astonishment of his son whose desire to be in a Shakespearean play at school, originally elicits the comment, “Poncing about the park in tights?”

Karen Ascoe is equally convincing as the new head of the family by landing a well aimed punch on the jaw of Neil Andrew as her bewildered son-in-law, watched by Katie Foster-Barnes as her equally bewildered daughter.

Dominic Hecht is superb as the son, having been in the original production of Ayckbourn’s play. Lesson learned and point made, the parental roles revert with the promise of happier times ahead.

A subtle change of lighting enables Michael Holt’s clever ‘three in one’ set of bedroom, lounge and kitchen to become a furniture showroom, allowing the action to switch from home to the work place.

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