West End Productions stays true with 'How the Other Half Loves'

West End Productions, which specializes in plays by British writers, is mounting a new production of “How the Other Half Loves,” a farcical 1969 play by celebrated playwright Alan Ayckbourn.

“It’s like a big, fun sitcom,” Director Henry Avery said. “I have directed a number of Ayckbourn’s shows, but never this one.”

“How the Other Half Loves” features three couples. The husband of one is having an extramarital affair with his boss’ wife. But their attempts to cover up the affair only make things worse — for themselves and for a third, unrelated couple — setting off a chain of hilarious misunderstandings.

“You pretty much discover who the culprits are in the first scene,” Avery said. “The fun is them trying to cover it up and getting other people involved. It mushrooms until the climax, when all the lies and the cover-ups are revealed. You have to set it up, and then you have to pull it down.”

“How the Other Half Loves” uses unconventional staging. It is set in two living rooms, but rather than being divided by a wall, the two settings are superimposed onto one another.

“The interesting thing about this show is the concept that it takes place in two different locations at the same time. So you’ve got both of the living rooms on the stage, intermingled, and both scenes are taking place at the same time,” Avery said. “The characters in one location don’t see the others. They’re totally doing their own play, but they’re passing each other onstage. So, it’s been challenging to stage and direct it to keep the two stories and two locations going at once.”

It took a lot of rehearsing to not only work out the timing of the dialogue between the two overlapping scenes, but also for the actors to get used to maneuvering through a set where half of the furniture doesn’t exist in their reality.

“It was funny because one of the actors — he didn’t really trip, but he kind of put his hand out to brace himself (during rehearsal),” Avery said. “And I said, ‘Wait, that chair does not exist. You can’t support yourself on that chair, because it isn’t there.’”

Distinctive wallpaper and furnishings demarcate the boss’ elegant home from his employee’s relatively shabbier one, pointing up the class differences implied by the “other half” reference in the title.

Avery said he directed another Ayckbourn play, called “Taking Steps,” which used unconventional staging, as well.

“It took place on several different levels — like upstairs, downstairs and all that — but there were no staircases anywhere. So, the cast had to fake the steps when they were going from one level to the other, and when they were on top of each other,” Avery said. “This playwright (Ayckbourn) does create fun challenges. I mean, I enjoy just plain old comedy, but when they throw something else in that you’ve got to deal with, that’s even more fun.”

Avery has set his production of “How the Other Half Loves” in the early 1970s, just after it was written.

“Telephones play a very important part, and we wanted to use the old-fashioned rotary phones,” Ayckbourn said. “I just wish they dialed faster.”

But the early-’70s setting has allowed for fun costume choices, he said.

“We have a lovely lady, Chris Appleton, who’s doing costumes. She pulled a lot of ’70s stuff, and we had a field day playing with the costumes,” Avery said.

Not only will the costumes be true to the setting, but so will the language.

“When we were getting ready to do this, the scripts came in for the Broadway production, which had all been updated and changed for American audiences. But since the concept (of West End Productions) is to do British work, we had to go back to the original script and all the references and language that would be more appropriate for London.”

Avery said the cast has done a great job with their accents, and that the entire cast has been “delightful” to work with.

“I was almost able to hand-pick the actors, because they were all people I’d worked with over the years who wanted to be in it,” Avery said. “So, it’s a lovely group to work with, and they’re a lot of fun.”

West End Productions stays true with 'How the Other Half Loves'