Tempe Little Theatre's Relatively Speaking at The Tempe Performing Arts Center
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 9/17/99
(out of )Many equate British comic playwright Alan Ayckbourn to his American contemporary, Neil Simon. While Mr. Ayckbourn's list of writings is not quite as lengthy as Mr. Simon's, the comparison is more than valid. The only thing that separates the two comedic geniuses is the level of sentimentality and satire in which each indulges: Mr. Simon will always trust his heart, where Mr. Ayckbourn is not afraid to undercut the characters that he uses to populate his plays. While both create wonderful scripts, the bite belongs to the Brits.
Tempe Little Theatre continues its upward trend in the footsteps of Phoenix Theatre, nee Little, in opening their season with one of Ayckbourn's edgy comedies, Relatively Speaking. This company is attempting to bring itself to the level of a Stagebrush or a Theater Works, and is definitely heading in the right direction with this production. While there are moments where the mechanics miss some gears, and some of the laugh lines misfire, what Director Julie Peterson accomplishes with her solid cast and crew is to bring the company as a whole to the next level. Despite its slow start, this production picks up after the first scene, and brings more respectability to this all-volunteer organization, which celebrated its first few ariZoni wins this past week.
The center of this play is the young, fledgling London couple, Greg and Ginny. Greg is smitten with the mysterious Ginny, who has a past that involves an older man. When he finds a pair of men's slippers under her bed, and is confronted with a series of hang-up phone calls in her flat, he begins to suspect an affair. He decides to follow her to her parents' place, and there meets the slightly odd older couple of Philip and Sheila. In his attempt to gain the hand of the cagey Ginny, he inadvertently complicates her life even more, threatening their relationship before it gets the chance to really begin. One wonderful thing about the script is the constant stream of unexpected and carefully choreographed twists that keep the audience one step ahead of those onstage with hilarious results.
Director Peterson has done a great job keeping pacing brisk and characters consistent, even as some of the actors accents were not, and the show took its time to build up to its comic levels. She has also worked with her designers to create a wonderful space for the show, after the unimpressive-though-unavoidably cramped fore-curtain creation of the first scene in Ginny's tiny London flat.
While there is no bad performance in this quartet, the evening definitely belongs to the women in terms of acting prowess. As the shifty Ginny, Christina Stewart is just the right balance between loveable and questionable. Even better is Jackie Hayes as the sweet and slightly daft Sheila, who is the least aware of the ever-shifting situations with which she is involved, yet the quickest to adapt. Of course, the men do a fine job of presenting their characters. As the persistent Greg, Tyler Lee Christensen may have the most fleeting of accents, but makes up for it with his good command of comic timing. Finishing out the quartet, Gary Anderson's Philip is a good mix of stuffy and dodgey.
David Durnil's set design and Bob Nelson's lights are, following the first scene, some of the best that TLT has produced. The main setting of the country courtyard of Philip and Sheila is roomy, well-lit, and solidly furnished. Mr. Nelson and Ms. Peterson's sound design is also well-done, as are Vickie Wagner's costumes. The difference between this show and a TLT production from a few years back is simply impressive. It seems that each production TLT mounts is becoming more and more professional, and they are definitely on the right track in legitimizing their company.
Between funny material, impressive performances and visuals, and consistent direction, it's easy to overlook some of the flaws of this piece and congratulate cast and crew on an enjoyable evening well spent.
Production Details:
Relatively Speaking by Alan
Ayckbourn
Tempe Little Theatre
The Tempe Performing Arts Center
(480) 350-8388
September 10th - 25th, 1999