Reviewing the world premiere of Alan Ayckbourn’s Bedroom Farce in Scarborough in 1975, the Yorkshire Post’s theatre critic hailed it as a “masterpiece of comedy”. Desmond Pratt’s review also noted the “astonishing” phenomenon of Ayckbourn’s output: “it is his 17th [new play] in 16 years”.
In the intervening half a century, Ayckbourn has continued to premiere plays in Scarborough at a rate of at least one a year; his 90th, Show and Tell, opens there next month. Meanwhile, Bedroom Farce has become a worldwide favourite of amateur as well as professional stages: this latest production deliciously demonstrates why.
