Joking Apart (play)

Joking Apart is a 1978 play by English playwright Alan Ayckbourn.

Joking Apart
Written by	Alan Ayckbourn
Characters	Richard Anthea Hugh Louise Sven Olive Brian Melody / Mandy / Mo / Debbie
Date premiered	11 January 1978
Place premiered	Stephen Joseph Theatre
Original language	English
Setting	Four parties over 12 years
Alan Ayckbourn chronology
Ten Times Table (1977) Sisterly Feelings (1979)

Overview

Written in response to comments that Ayckbourn only ever wrote about unhappy couples, the play follows Richard and Anthea, a perfect and happily married couple who inadvertently worsen the lives of the couples they have befriended over the course of 12 years: Hugh and Louise, Sven and Olive, and Brian and his seemingly never-ending stream of unsteady girlfriends (Melody, Mandy, Mo, and Debbie). In most productions, Brian's girlfriends are portrayed by the same actress, with characters commenting on their similar physical appearances.

External links

• Joking Apart on official Ayckbourn site