Joking Apart by Alan Ayckbourn (1978)

TW:

 

SYNOPSIS

            Vicar Hugh and his wife Louise have just moved into the house behind successful couple Richard and Anthea and have been invited to their Guy Fawke’s party. Hugh enjoys the evening, but Louise is terrified by the loud fireworks. The properties aren’t evenly divided and Anthea and Richard get the idea to not only invite the new couple to use their backyard, but to tear down the dividing fence entirely with Hugh’s permission. Louise is horrified and feels as if she no longer has a yard at all. Brian spends the party arguing with his girlfriend and confesses to still being in love with Anthea. Sven and Olive arrive late and warn the new couple to be wary of Anthea and Richard. We skip ahead four years to a summer party and Sven complains that Richard is making too many big decisions about their shared business without Sven’s input, made all the worse by the decisions bringing them nothing but success. Brian’s new girlfriend hardly interacts with the group and instead draws alone. Hugh has become chummier with the group and always eats big portions of Anthea’s cooking while eating very little of his wife’s at home. Anthea and Richard spend the evening prepping food and entertaining the children while their friends complain out of earshot that they coddle their kids too much. Four years later things come to a head at Anthea and Richard’s Boxing Day party. Sven, still upset with his business relationship challenges Richard to a tennis match despite being a decade out of shape and clearly intoxicated. During the match Hugh and Louise stop by on their way to take a walk. Despite being invited to join the party, Louise insists on leaving and Hugh not only stays but confesses his growing adulterous love for Anthea. Brian’s newest girlfriend ruins Richard’s plan to appease Sven by revealing that Sven only won because Richard played left-handed. Four more years pass and the group gathers once more for Anthea and Richard’s daughter Debbie’s 18^th birthday. Brian is alone for the first time in the play and Louise is now under the influence of new medication that is much too strong causing her to laugh and sing unprompted. Sven is imbittered but admits that Richard is simply better than him. Unfortunately, he admits this as a very somber and downtrodden toast to Debbie causing him to bury his head and his wife to burst into tears.

 

CHARACTERS

Richard – Adult, British Accent

Anthea – Adult, British Accent

Hugh – Adult, British Accent

Louise – Adult, British Accent

Sven – Adult, British Accent

Olive – Adult, British Accent

Brian – Adult, British Accent

Melody/Mandy/Mo/Debbie – Adult/Adult/20s/18, British Accent

 

POTENTIAL MONOLOGUES

            Sven has the first potential monologue when his jealousy towards Richard first starts to surface. It’s the monologue where he tries to tell Anthea that Richard is going to get them into trouble making so many business decisions on his own. It comes out rather comedic because it starts as if Richard has done something terrible and lost the company money when by the end of it Sven has to admit that Richard is actually doing a great job and earning them lots of money. Then in the last scene he has his somber toast.

            Brian has a monologue to Mo, girlfriend #3, explaining how Anthea left her husband and ended up staying with him for three months with her two very young kids before meeting Richard. He fell in love with her and her family but invited her with no strings attached, so he felt like he couldn’t confess his love for her without seeming like he was backsliding on his word.

            Hugh has his love confession to Anthea which are actually small paragraphs broken up by interjections, but they could easily be strung together for a nice long monologue.

 

PERSONAL THOUGHTS

            The concept is how the perfect couple affects the people around them that continuously compare themselves to them. Their friends both want them and want to be them, yet they aren’t. Things just naturally come easily to Anthea and Richard. I find it interesting though that the friends pick at the way the couple raises their children, but no one ever attempts any condescension about Anthea’s failed marriage. There isn’t a reason given as to why Anthea left her husband so it’s totally possible that the nature of the separation is completely justifiable and in no way a fault of Anthea’s.

            This was an interesting read getting to know the characters and their relationships. Of course, it would be better seeing it played out on stage and the most fun being a part of bringing the characters to life. There’s even a running joke about all Brian’s girlfriends all looking alike which they absolutely do because they’re all played by the same actress. There isn’t much that dates the play aside from the more conservative views on divorce and that barely counts. Despite this the playwright very specifically believes the play should take place using the late 70s as the setting of the final scene.