Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present

Director:Gillian Shields

Writer:Alan Ayckbourn

Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present is Alan Ayckbourn’s 83rd play and was premiered at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, during 2019. True to style, this is a comedy but with some more serious moments. It’s a play that, intriguingly, runs backwards. The play covers four birthdays in the same family over four decades, starting with the 80th of crusty former coach driver, Micky, who along with his wife Meg, awaits the arrival of their son, Adrian, and his latest girlfriend, Grace. Micky sees it as his moral duty to warn the churchgoing Grace that the mild mannered Adrian is a Jekyll and Hyde whose relationships have been ruined by his inordinate sexual demands. Over the next three scenes, leading back to Adrian as a teenager, we discover the truth about this now middle-aged lothario. As with most Ayckbourn plays, things are not as they seem. Ever-inventive, Ayckbourn gives a new spin by reminding us that a situation becomes even funnier or sadder if we have a shrewd idea in advance of what is going to happen. By the time we get to Adrian’s 30th birthday party we know the destination, though not as it turns out how this is reached. Alternately wry and raucous, the play shows that Ayckbourn still knows how to make the best use of time. ****Please note that we do not offer refunds on our tickets**** You will not receive your tickets via e-mail, you can collect them from the box office on the night of the performance.