'Relatively Speaking' Wyndhams Theatre ****

Alan Ayckbourn's 1967 play 'Relatively Speaking' has to be the comedy production to see this summer. Ayckbourn's narrative of a confusing and highly amusing Buckinghamshire home where a young couple meet with a old married couple soon become the most confusing scenario you would imagine where Ginny (Kara Tointon) travels to The Willows to end an affair she has been having with married man Philip (Jonathan Coy). The production staring the legendary 'The Good Life' actress Felicity Kendall as the stereotypical housewife Shelia and I must say she was brilliant in this part as she conveys this character with tenacity and comedic value that you become enthralled by what she is going to say next. The relationship between her and her husband Philip were highly believable and conveyed with such humour that the audience couldn't stop lauging at their personal scenes. I thought that the two younger characters Ginny (Tointon) and Greg (Max Bennett) were just as comedic as the older characters and performed and delivered beautifully. Lindsay Posner's direction of Ayckborn's play was technically and brilliantly sound and thought of with tenderness and ease. In addition I thought that the design by Peter McKintosh was extraordinary due to the intense scale of The Willows house where the married couple Shelia and Philip live. I particularly liked the transition between the London flat to the The Willows in rural Bucks quickly and proficiently. The lighting by Howard Harrison and sound by Matt McKenzie complimented to Posner's direction and McKintosh's design amazingly well and on par to the attention to detail to the performance portrayed by the company. This production has to be seen this summer and I must congratulate Cardiff Theatrical Services for their amazing set and one to be admired as the design must have posed a challenge to the scenic constructors. I Had a wonderful experience here and when speaking to fellow audience members that they enjoyed it as much as I did.