Relatively Speaking

Relatively Speaking Review
On the 27th August, I went to Wyndham’s theatre to see Relatively Speaking; it was directed by Lindsay Posner and performed by Kara Tointon, Felicity Kendall, Max Bennett and Jonathan Coy. It was set in the 1960’s and is based around two couples who are confused when Greg turns up unannounced at the Willows, not realising that the man who lives there is Ginny’s ex lover and not her father whom she said it was. It is situated throughout a summer weekend in Ginny’s bedroom and the patio of Sheila and Philip’s home. Before I saw the play, my expectations were that it would be quite comical but also slightly confusing due to the complications each character feels in the situation. However, after seeing the play, I didn’t realise how comedy could be presented in such an authentic way.
The costumes for the play were designed by Mark Carey and were extremely effective as they contrasted perfectly with the time zone of the play (1965). Ginny wore a bold print dress with a popular 60’s hairstyle and large plastic jewellery. Sheila’s costume was similar but was more traditional as she wore an a-line skirted dress with floral pattern and more delicate jewellery. The makeup on Sheila was very subtle which shows that she is a light hearted person whereas Ginny’s makeup was bold which conveyed that she is a darker character. Whilst Greg and Philip both wore suits, Greg was dressed more less smart which indicated that he is more relaxed with his lifestyle compared to Philip who was dressed smarter and implies that he’s just beginning to make a living.   This was easier for the audience to see how different the character’s were despite being dressed similar.
There were only two sets in the play, both of which were designed by Peter McKintosh. This was winning on the audience as they were constantly focused throughout. Furthermore, the set change added to this as a large map covered the stage to show the journey from the flat to the garden patio. The...