Season's Greetings did not bring tidings of comfort or joy (From Gazette Series)

Season's Greetings did not bring tidings of comfort or joy

3:17pm Tuesday 6th December 2011 in What's On By Alexandra Womack

Review: Seasons's Greetings

Theatre Royal, Bath

LET’S be clear before I go on, I don’t think Alan Ayckbourn is aiming his plays at me. So it’s okay that I don’t find them that funny.

His festive offering, Season’s Greetings, was penned in 1980 and for me, who was born in that very year, it feels dated and out of touch.

This may well of course be a mere reflection of my younger years as the predominantly older audience at last night’s performance at the Theatre Royal certainly seemed to enjoy the sitcom-style play and its moments of slapstick humour.

Season’s Greetings takes place over the course of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day at the bustling home of overworked mum and neglected wife Belinda (Karen Ascoe) and gadget man and disinterested husband Neville (Mark Healy).

The family descends for Christmas, including militant uncle Bernard (Christopher Timothy), hopeless doctor Harvey (Denis Lill) and his eccentric, alcoholic wife Phyllis (Sue Wallace) and the chavvy Eddie (Ricky Groves) and his heavily pregnant and put-upon wife Pattie (Barbara Dreenan).

Also on the guest list is Belinda’s sister Rachel (Jenny Funnell), who despite her 38 years, has never had a relationship with a man and yet has managed to get her dream man, the dark, tall and handsome author Clive (Mathew Bose) to accompany her on a three-day stay at her family’s hectic house.

Ayckbourn allows the audience to explore the host of different characters as they come into contact over the course of numerous domestic scenes, some cleverly taking place in unison. Initially the relatives try to tolerate one another but eventually, as many a family fears at Christmas, several explosive incidents including Harvey’s disastrous puppet show, Belinda and Clive’s midnight romp and even a gun shot wound, put an abrupt end to the festivities.

Despite faultless peformances from the well-seasoned cast, my main problem with the characters was that I did not buy into them. I could not believe Rachel’s failure with men and that is not because its an impossibility (the same character has appeared quite admirably in plenty of fiction most recently Laura Linney’s portrayal of Sarah in the 2003 film Love, Actually) it was because there was no history to her, no reason for her inabilities and little hope for her.

Although Season’s Greetings is only meant to be a gentle social commentary on family life, the script often left me either wanting more humour, more slapstick, more in-your-face funny or an altogether more subtle look at the haphazardry of hosting at Christmas. But as I said, I have a feeling this play is not meant for me. Maybe it’s just my age.

Season’s Greetings is on at the Theatre Royal Bath until Saturday, December 10. Call the box office on 01225 448844 for tickets.