‘Relatively Speaking’ an oldie but a goodie

When Sir Walter Scott wrote “Oh, what a tangled web we weave when

first we practice to deceive,” it was almost as if he were

anticipating Alan Ayckbourn.

The English playwright, officially “Sir Alan” since 1999, has

carved a career out of writing comedic contrivances in which the

characters are not always what they seem -- hardly ever, really. One

of his earliest ventures into this genre was “Relatively Speaking,”

circa 1967, which became his breakthrough piece in a career that now

spans 62 plays and counting.

South Coast Repertory not only has revived “Relatively Speaking”

at its new Julienne Argyros Theater, but also has retained its very

distinct 1960s flavor, from the pop pre-show music to the

micro-miniskirt worn to great effect by Jennifer Dundas, the ingenue

of this four-character side-splitter, to the lively curtain call that

harks back to the earliest days of SCR itself.

Ayckbourn begins his play simply enough -- a young woman, Ginny

(Dundas), plans to spend a Sunday in the country with her parents, a

visit to which her relatively new boyfriend Greg (Douglas Weston) is

cordially not invited. Bouquets of flowers and a drawerful of

Valentine candy lead Greg to assume, quite accurately, that there is,

or has been, another fellow in his loved one’s life.

It’s only when the scene shifts to the country estate of Philip

and Sheila (Richard Doyle and Linda Gehringer) that the truth of the

matter begins to surface -- and then only gradually. And when Greg

follows -- or rather precedes -- Ginny to the address he finds in her

apartment, his arrival ignites a spirited game of “who’s doing what

to whom and why?”

It would be a disservice to future playgoers to reveal too much

about Ayckbourn’s fiendishly clever plot. Suffice it to say that

creative deception and reconfiguration of characters at breakneck

speed keep this merry masquerade humming, and director David Emmes

showcases each performer to his or her best advantage as the plot --

and the relationships, both real and imaginary -- thicken.

Dundas, the only SCR newcomer among this veteran cast, fits

gloriously into the mix. As the instigator of the assorted charades,

it’s her job to keep the others, especially Weston, from putting two

and two (or, more accurately, one and one) together until she can

extricate herself from a sticky situation. This she does with comic

brilliance.

Weston, the fly in the ointment as an uninvited guest, is the only

one of the four not striving to prevent a skeleton emerging from a

closet. He is particularly effective as he attempts to stitch pieces

of the plot together -- naturally getting them woefully wrong .

Doyle is particularly a kick to watch, both trying to cover up his

own duplicity and simmering at the thought of his wife’s supposed

dalliances both with a much-younger and a much-older man. He has

reason to rage, but an even more compelling motive for keeping his

emotions in check, a switch-hitting assignment he handles with

admirable aplomb.

Gehringer, his proper, passive wife who proves to be the wild card

in the deck before the final curtain, beautifully rolls with each new

increment of comic punches. She’s at once a contented, countrified

matron and a bit of a scamp, the latter quality surfacing quite

unexpectedly.

The circuitous scenario is played out for the most part against a

lush outdoor backdrop at the country estate, a marked contrast to

Dundas’ somewhat lower-scale flat employed in the first scene.

Nephelie Andonyadis has designed both with an appreciable attention

to detail, and also has created the retro 1960s costumes, including

Dundas’ striking miniskirt.

Playwright Ayckbourn often is called “the English Neil Simon,” but

there’s a profound difference in the styles employed by these two

literary giants. Whereas Simon stresses character and frequency of

punch lines, Ayckbourn focuses more on plot and how his characters

react to his cleverly contrived situations.

When his plays are on target, as they usually are, the result is

sheer hilarity. And SCR’s production of “Relatively Speaking”

certainly qualifies on that score.

* TOM TITUS’ reviews run Thursdays and Saturdays.