How the Other Half Loves			Download the programme.
A classic comedy
Alan Ayckbourn, master of incisive comedies of human behaviour and foibles, rules supreme in Grasmere this summer, courtesy of an excellent production by Grasmere Players.
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		How the Other Half Loves demands of the actors pace, timing and interaction and needs a director with an eye for comic opportunities. In this production, Vivienne Rees amply demonstrates her credentials, skilfully directing a classic play into full and hilarious life.
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Set in the 1970s, resplendent with flares, caftans, velour upholstery and net curtains, the play is a complex intertwining of couples, relationships and the muddles caused through misinterpreted conversations and gossip. The clever set is a house inhabited by two sets of couples. Fiona Foster (a stromingly good performance by Anne Gallagher) is the bored wife of Frank, boss of a firm but at home both vague and fussy.
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		Hugh Wright is on excellent form conveying the character's mix of irritatingly bumbling good intentions with the pathos of having a deceiving wife. Superimposed on this set-up is the relationship between Terry (good work from Lucy Clarke) and her husband, Bob, played with enthusiasm by Alistair Gorringe. Add another couple into the equation, William and Mary Featherstone (terrific performances from Trevor Eastes and Christine Wright), who are drawn into the melange and confusion by a series of white lies and co-incidences, and the stage is set for a classic comedy.
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Together with excellent work from the backstage crew, the actors give full rein to their comic skills, entertaining an appreciative full house.
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Pam Williamson The Westmorland Gazette, June 27th 2008.