This was my first visit to the fabulous Questors Theatre, and it certainly deserves a mention. The crucible-style auditorium, with its raked seating, provides an excellent view from every seat, which is both spacious and comfortable. The icing on the cake? Incredibly affordable bar prices.
Alan Ayckbourn’s impeccably funny 1973 play Table Manners, part of his Norman Conquests trilogy, was the draw for me. I’ve yet to see the other two instalments, but this one certainly whetted my appetite.
The set was cleverly designed: a combined living and dining area, complete with armchairs, a sofa, and a central dining table. Double doors opened outward onto a lush, flower-filled garden. As I waited for the play to begin, I couldn’t help thinking the room didn’t look very ’70s. Where was the orange-and-brown, garishly patterned wallpaper? The shag carpet? Or was that just my childhood home? But, given that this was meant to be the home of an elderly, infirm woman, the bland, functional decor made perfect sense.
We met the three siblings – Annie, Reg, and Ruth played by Nate Clarke, Jacob Dalton, and Filipa Maia, respectively. Their unseen mother is bedridden upstairs and in need of constant care, which spinster Annie dutifully provides. That is, until she decides to sneak off for a secret weekend getaway with her sister Ruth’s husband, Norman (played by Herman Svartling Stolpe), leaving their mother in the care of Reg’s highly competent wife Sarah (Mia Biagio).
Following so far?
The relationships were, at first, a little tricky to follow. The three siblings were played by actors of different ethnicities and spoke with completely different accents, but this is theatre, after all, and poetic license allows for such liberties. Imagination engaged, we happily followed along.
With her weekend plans thwarted, Annie found herself spending the entire time with her family and their respective partners. As the story unfolded and tensions mounted, the complex family dynamics were truly put to the test.
Norman, the unlikely lothario, was a comic highlight, and Svartling Stolpe played him with charm. Ostensibly a dull librarian, Norman’s boyish humour, optimism, and opportunism made him an entertaining character.
Tom, Annie’s bashful friend and would-be suitor, was another comedic performer. Played by the amusing Wesley Lloyd, Tom’s too-short trousers and geeky persona were endearing. While clearly gifted in his veterinary career, romance was not his forte.
The play followed the usual two-act structure, with each act split into two scenes. Between scenes, while the lights remained up, albeit slightly dimmed, and no curtain fell, two women came on stage to clear crockery and change the tablecloth. At first, I wondered if they were part of the play – perhaps maids? It felt a little disconnected from the rest of the production. Given the farcical nature of the play, there was potential to make more of this interlude – perhaps with a bit of Benny Hill-style energy and Yakety-Sax music with them rushing on and off stage. Still, the 1970s soundtrack instead was a lovely touch.
All in all, it was an enjoyable evening. Even if we sometimes found humour in places where it perhaps wasn’t intended, it added to the charm of this classic comedy in a truly welcoming theatre.
Review by Bernadette Lintunen
Annie has arranged to spend an illicit weekend with her sister’s husband Norman, a librarian and unlikely lothario. She has asked her older brother Reg and his wife to look after their widowed mother and the house so she can get away. But when their plans are rumbled, the would-be lovers find themselves trapped with their spouses and siblings for an awkward weekend.
Set entirely round the dining table over the course of two days, sibling rivalries, failed seductions, and fragile male egos play out over unsatisfactory salads and Mother’s best place settings.
Table Manners is part comedy of confusion and part 1970s domestic drama, all of it sparkling with Alan Ayckbourn’s sharp social commentary and quick-witted humour.
TABLE MANNERS
The Questors Theatre
12 to 19 July 2025
