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Playgoers of Lethbridge is revisiting “How The Other Half Loves” Feb. 1-4 at the Yates Theatre.
“It’s a play about infidelity and I am the infidel,” grinned Stephen Graham, who plays “Office Romeo” Bob Phillips.
“It’s just so cleverly written. It’s a farce but without the slamming doors,” he described.
Director Linda Bayly said the play was done about 35 years ago but as a fan of playwright Alan Ayckbourn’s work, she wanted to take it on.
“It is so funny so I was looking forward to doing it. I wanted a challenge,” she said.
The play, which premiered in 1969 in London and on Broadway in 1971, examines the lighter side of infidelity as three different couples, the Fosters, the Phillips and the Deteilers, cope with two of them having affairs. The challenge comes in having the sets for two households on the same stage. There is one scene taking place on two different days around the same dinner table with all six of the cast members.
She didn’t change much in the play, other than not having all of the couples as English.
“I wanted to stay true to Alan Ayckbourn’s words,” she said.
The production also stars Jane Meaker as Terri Phillips, Naomi Snelgrove as Mary Detweiler, Josh Hammerstedt as William Detweiler, Sheila Mattson as Fiona Foster and Ed Bayly as Frank Foster.
Ed was in Playgoers’ original production of “How The Other Half Loves” as William Detweiler.
“I played the husband of the younger couple, now I’m playing the older husband,” he said.
“Frank is the senior partner of the business. All of the husbands work for me. He doesn’t really realize what is happening.”
He admits while good intentioned, Foster’s misunderstandings end up causing complete chaos.
“It’s a very cleverly written play and Alan Ayckbourn is a very accomplished writer of comedies. He’s still alive and has written over 80 plays.”
Frank is enjoying not only being back on stage for the first time in several years since “Moon Over Buffalo,” he is also enjoying working under his wife’s direction.
“She’s doing a great job. The first time Playgoers did it in Coaldale and we brought it to Lethbridge. Linda was working backstage on it,” he reminisced.
Mattson, who plays Fiona Foster is enjoying her role.
“It’s a really wonderful opportunity to be performing with my favourite people,” she said, even though she thought she was “too long in the tooth” to play Fiona.
“She’s in a boring, humdrum co-dependent relationship. They want nothing to do with each other, so she has an affair with Bob Phillips. They both blame other people.”
Hammerstedt, who has been in numerous productions with Playgoers including “Send Me No Flowers in October, is enjoying his role as William.
“I’m an obsessively controlling husband. And I’m absolutely positive I’m always right,” Hammerstedt said of his character. “If there’s something to know, I know it.”
As a complete contrast, Snelgrove, a veteran of numerous main stage productions, plays his wife Mary.
“She’s a slightly backwards wife who puts her trust in her husband,” she said.
Graham is looking forward to opening night.
“I’m wearing less clothes than I ever have before,” he laughed.
“It’s such a funny play. When you make the jokes and the audience laugh in the right places, that’s when I feel the biggest rush. I feel the energy coming back from the audience.”
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