ALAN AYCKBOUR When Alan Ayekbour's Abunt end opened in London in July 1975, it became his ith play oun simultaneous in the West End, joining his tly, The Norma Conquest London, 1974), and his logranning pay, Abn Poon Sagar (La on, 1973)—a remarkable achievement in contemporary commercial theater, yet not entirely surprising for England's most prolific dramatist, who has written ty fallLength plays Ajekbourn began writing ar a young boy, ring a pewter gien to him by his mothe, an author of stores for women’ magazines His interest heater wat Lindled by Eagar Mathews, teacher, who directed Shakespeare pro ‘duction forthe schoolboys at Halleybury, toured with them during the summer, and wed his theatrical contacts to get the seventeen id Ayekboura his fist Job in profesional theater, paying small roles and serving ata sistant stage ‘manager In 1957, afer spending a year with dilleentreperory companies, Aye burn moved to Scarborough, a resort ton on Englands northeast coos to work with Stephen Joseph, the pioneer of th terintheround in England and a spe porter of young playwrights. In Sarborough, AjeKbourn became not only skied actor but started writing plays aswel. ln 1090, folowing Joeph’s death, Ay thou took over a arte director in Searhoroug, By that cme he had alread spent five years working with the BBC in Leeds and already had two msjr su estes, Rate Speaking (1988) and Hs (isk), play that a opened originally n Scarborough and then transferred to London, Ayekbourn continues wo write and direc his own script in Searborough, wel staging ane ply eacs year Over half of hoe pays have been succesful enough to raster London often with an entirely ne cast and anew director. When Ayekbourn isnt writing—and he allot approximately a month each year foreach new pat—he “iret both in Searborough and elsewhere, Knighted in 199 for “service tothe ater” Ayekbourm has created highly succesful boy of work that combines com ‘ay and pain. Talking to Michael Billington, drama critic for the. Cuardn Ayekbour emphasized the necessity of entertaining the audience: “In the end we ‘ay thatifyour mesage isan empry theatre ite wseles, Let sce how clever we an beat saying unpalatable things in 4 palatable manner Ayckbourn’ socal comedies rely on crucial misunderstandings dhat are ams Ingand compelling. and that unually evel and explore problematic hua el Sionships, expecially benseen men and wornen, Ia Haan Speaking the character (Greg thinks that his rend Cinay is going away to vist hex parents, Philip a Sheila. However, Philp sactally Ginny's exlover Philip, meanwhile, belive that Sheila is having an affir and sames tha Grog, who hts come to propose to In Round and Round the Cando (one ofthe three plays in Conguss), Norman's wife, Rut, tries to permiade Tom, the rather dense lol veterinarian, to pay more atention to her younger sister, Ae; Ruth tends up convincing Tom that she ik madly in love wi him, tation that not‘only embarrases Torn and Ruth but hurts Annie further. And in Abd Perso in {dor Era spends the entre second act ying to commit auld, only to have eich ‘ther attempts filed by someone who has no iden of what she is realy trying fo. As each of these examples suggesis—and one could ind many more in Ak tour's plaje—miaundertanding can stem fom personal fruation or unhagpt ness and ye crese comedy on sage, Frequently such misunderstanding ithe result not only of ackof arenes or fntelgence, but ofthe persistence with which his character ling to social itl Ayekbourn i fxcinated with the power of uch ital a canbe seen by the nue ber of play stat particular holidays, sich asthe three Christmas Eve paris of ‘And Peon Single four birthday partis of ust Betws Ours (1970), and ‘he family Criatina gathering of Seaton Ging (1980). Exen more extrac ‘nays the comie mileage AyeKbourm gets from smaller social occasions, expec those that involve fod. Teo unforgetable family picnes provide a majors ‘comedy in Sister tings (1070) ae the sandwiches prepared for eight character, fone of whom isa vegetarian, ae repeatedly handed ut lied, and then resi fed, In Tate Mann (part of The Norman Conquts,Ayekbourn tages a diner scene where characters who da not wish to be together mast nonetheless pretend ‘hat they ate enjoying a wully inadequate meal And in How the Oder Hal Loves, oro vey diferent couples, in diferent houses, occupy the tage atthe same tine wth overlapping se pieces thus making possible the sen in which a third couple i dinner simultaneously on Thursday and Fiday nigh, swiveling indir eis toacdres thee respective hots The technical tourde force of aging an acting represented inthe dual dinner scene i but one example of the clever experimentation that sa major feature of Ayekbourn’s playwriting Following Hie the Other Half Lows, Ayckbourn turned. sng li bt aod the mame grop of characters In The Noman unt ‘when a character ext, he dining room of Tale Manner, he or she may then valk into the Lving voor othe same hone (in Living Together) or into the garden Round and Rownd the Garden). Fach play complete in isl, but is also ine. ‘ined with the other wo, forming, in Michael Biligton's words“ ref, eight. hour ‘comedy The logical extenson of the premise behind The Norman Gmquste—that two other plays were going on sinntaneousy—came it 109 wi Hate © Garin, wo plays written toe performed simultanconly in two com fected autora In these plays the same actore must dash between the two loc tions while stage managers communicate constantly by telephone so that msi and ightng cuescan be ended or shortened as needed Though Ayckbourn ste elaborate challenges for himself and his ators, his ‘main goal of dramatiing “unpalatable thing in a palatable manner is fully e dentin Abound Peron Singular the play Michael Biington cll "he Big One, The fone that shows his fascination with the desperation behind English soca tals interlocking wid his welhiled come craft" AyeKbour’s emphasis on that craft trident in hs comments on the fet production (se his commentary following the play, especially his sense that“ seemed an interesting solution to set the scene apparently inthe wrong room, Le ther kitchen” And each kitchen refless 2 afferent soc cla the dean and modern kitchen of dhe upwardly motile Sidney and Jane, the “wendy homespun’ look fivored by Geofrey and Eva and sie Su ietean then omen modemiad of Ros and Marion. Ay ttoun develops the changing petrol sod socal velaonships not ony trough ung, but trough cin hainay sem val a fst but pnt to deeper prob- {Sine For example; twas pileakingn Act ig we ater reali awaring of er a (ide auempu in AcE and Maron's sateh for stronger dink at Sidney and Jane’ presges her descent info fal alcoholism in Act 3. The everdarkening tone ‘tthe lay reportcdy led its American producer to ask Ayekbour to shift dhe ee Stand rd acts around vo that dices woud leave the theater lnghing. Bat ich ithout her pry shows funn (Pyare 1: Ea sacs to kl hee scifarenot funny, butte fact that her guess both al o notice what she's doing tn epee Hr er tir generate he ays mt Mion mom see putin the ply fal moments isience thatthe oer two couples jom in a version of masta chai, dancing around cold and cherie then ietgure 3), becomes almost demonie Tins, n Ayebourn’s worl socal rivals Tecome exercises in power their rity underlined by the laughter they generateABSURD PERSON SINGULARTin sob her, Shh ach da posite fatal hae to enfin ov there ou kn: ose ao sh ago (Sie Anthea gone muta He hs wy gt cal)? ‘Sanson: Ohi (Sh sap sort iv dhe door.) thisst Baa ob tay ep ona (ing pe fom ihe ‘cnt Cape hing wp Be fet fm te of he "he machine (Hake he ay oa ap i fr Dating i Geoff nd Esa enon Te acsone OAD: Oh Gen tnd Es Jom. 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