Two and Two Make Sex, by Richard Harris and Leslie Darbon, Suffolk Summer Theatres, St Edmunds Hall, Southwold, until August 18 and Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh August 21 – 25.
Jane finds her boyfriend, Nick, so boring and with his full knowledge embarks on an affair with an older man, the weak, sensitive, caring father figure provided by George.
A misunderstanding leads to George’s wife, Clare, believing that her husband in seeing a psychiatrist, a role willingly assumed by Nick who sees the opportunity for revenge.
When Jane’s real father turns up the stage is set for a finale of mass-confusion and mistaken identity, further fuelled by the presence of Ruth (Sarah Ogley) agony aunt on the local rag, Clare’s best friend and George’s bete noire.
This is a cleverly written play - perhaps too clever in its final phase - which is given five-star treatment as part of the Southwold and Aldeburgh summer season.
Michael Shaw is superbly assured as the timorous, bowler-hatted, guilt-ridden George, trying to have an affair with a woman young enough to be his daughter.
Ann Wenn, a very accomplished and watchable actor, plays Clare, the meek-cum-furious wife spurned for a younger model. Discovery of her husband’s infidelity quickly leads her to attempt a liaison with Nick, a man young enough to be her son.
Rosanna Miles, as Jane, and Richard Blain as her estranged father, even manage a convincing piece of pathos in a play that is otherwise consumed by absurd situations and ridiculous attempted seductions, all laced with funny one-liners.
Iain Ridley gives an energetic performance as the juvenile, jobless Nick, obsessed with football and practical jokes.
Written and set in the 1970s when it enjoyed a successful West End run, the type of humour in this drama may be well-worn but it still provides excellent entertainment in the hands of director Richard Frost and an incredibly hard-working team of actors.
The final, chaotic scene is a challenge for any cast and this one emerged with colours flying.
David Green
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