Eye Theatre

> Eye Theatre

Just the tonic needed to lift people out of the winter blues, this sparkling Ayckbourn comedy is the eighth inter-related play in the Intimate Exchange Series.

The first-half action takes place in the garden of Toby, the headmaster in danger of losing his job and his wife, Celia. The garden shed provides a love nest for Celia, who embarks on a brief affair with Miles, chairman of the governors, who is attempting to save Toby's job. When the scene shifts to the cricket field, and the shed becomes the pavilion, the action increases.

When Richard Mainwaring pulled out, William Kenning found himself with a hard act to follow – but he did it magnificently. Beverley Hatwell had to work even harder to fill four contrasting roles. The change between the dejected Celia, forever tweaking her hair and clothes, and the provocative and impish Rowena, the wife of Miles, was remarkable – not to mention her lesser roles as the maid Sylvy and Celia's mother Josephine.

The play, which runs until Satureday, was directed by Steve Harris, with David Hermon as lighting designer and Emma-Jane Beniston stage manager.