Alan Ayckbourn’s Communicating Doors at Richmond Theatre

Mr Ayckbourn’s plays are amongst my favourites so I was keen to see this one – especially as the cast at Richmond looked so good. I was a little more concerned about taking along my teenage daughter to see it with me – I wanted her to see a comic thriller but was concerned about some of the subject matter. My apprehensions were dispelled – whilst admitting that she found elements of the play a bit scary and jumpy, she thoroughly enjoyed it and we spent a considerable time afterwards talking about the implications of time travel.

The play opens in a hotel room where brilliantly played villain Julian summons a call girl – Poupee (Laura Doddington turns out to be one of the three stars of the show) – for his business partner Reece Wells. Poupee’s guttersnipe accent reveals her humble background and when her large fake-fur coat is removed we find that she is a leather-clad dominatrix. The appearance of a very old and infirm Reece creates great hilarity.

We learn that Reece wants not sex but a signature to his confession which much be kept secret from baddy Julian and the “bent” lawyers. He recalls his past misdeeds and becomes unwell. Whilst Poupee tries to leave, the menacing Julian returns and is intent on silencing both Reece and Poupee. She hides in the connecting doors and is transported back in time to meet upper class, stoic and smart second wife Ruella (energetically and fantastically portrayed by Liza Goddard).

Much comedy ensues as the impossibility of the situation (time travel) is considered and Ruella tries to calm Poupee and develop a plan to save first wife Jessica – who, in another timeslip is on her honeymoon with a young Reece in the very same hotel room. It took a little effort to work out the impact of actions in one time zone on another – especially as Julian then starts time travelling too in pursuit of both Poupee and Ruella.

The music was brilliant and created all the tension and drama you would expect in a classic thriller – and there were even amusing hints of the great Psycho. Julian was creepy terror personified – ace acting. There were some brilliant comic scenes – the body under the sofa, the dead body in a laundry basket and the struggle on the balcony amongst them. I guess it’s rare to find a play that combines such farce with tense drama. At the interval we were left on such a cliff hanger that we were almost too scared to venture into the loos.

The play started slowly and I was starting to get a little fidgety, but after about 20 minutes I became engrossed in the story and the characters. I laughed and I also jumped. The ending was unexpected and a little corny but still good with some great throwaway lines about the problems of a life without qualifications or the potential for making a bad marriage work and avoiding divorce. I guess the over-riding message was that with evil removed (i.e. Julian), things can have a much more positive outcome – for all parties.

Starting at 730pm and finishing around 10pm it's a good evening out away from the TV combining both fun and deeper thought about time and history. The characters and ideas will stay with you for a while.