REVIEW: TABLE MANNERS by Sebastian Kainth at Drayton Arms Theatre 19 - 23 September 2023

‘an ensemble performance deserving of its large audience’ ★★★

Alan Ayckbourn wrote a play called Table Manners as part of his Norman Conquests trilogy back in 1975. The award-winning play, set entirely in a dining room, was a profoundly humorous and chaotic meeting of two couples in which it is quickly understood that there is more than meets the eye to the encounter. Sebastian Kainth’s Table Manners is of similar vein although, while also very funny and equally chaotic, it takes a lot longer to establish the underlying principles of the play and unfortunately suffers as a result.

Rich (Dan Le Friec) and new girlfriend Fran (Molly Barton) are invited to dinner by Rich’s friends Lisa (Iona Crampton) and husband Kevin (writer, Kainth). Fran spends most of the evening trying to win over Lisa who has an unreasonable dislike of her while Kevin struggles to live up to the demanding expectations of his wife. This is more or less the entirety of the first act which, albeit entertaining, could have benefitted with more breadcrumbs as to where the story is heading.

It is not until the introduction of John (Director, Rhys Ashcroft) at the end of act one that the story begins to propel forward, and the character’s real objectives come into effect. The second half is definitely a more fluid experience, and the conflicts finally seem justified, but it does bring into question why it took so long to get there as the characters are fairly well established early on. The play does conclude in a satisfactory fashion (despite the foreshadowing of the reveal ending being a little obvious) but the payoff is a little diluted with how condensed the main story arc is in the latter sections.

Where Table Manners really shines is in the acting with the variety of performances benefitting the farcical nature of the play. Crampton’s gloriously over-the-top Lisa is a perfect contrast to Barton’s down-to-earth Fran. Both actresses manage to convey the nuances of their characters throughout, never flinching to the other’s energy and tempo, leaving every encounter they have as captivating as the last. Le Friec and Kainth are also terrific as the doltish Rich and intense Kevin while Ashcroft’s brief, but explosive entries are some of the most memorable moments.

The acting is able to reach such high levels due in part to the quality of the dialogue. Kainth sets the tone from the opening scene with an intelligent and well thought out use of repetition. He then brings the unique voices of his characters to life with some extremely witty and acidic interactions that means no conversation ever seems idle. He even manages to throw in a few wordplay jokes that shouldn’t work but do and is testament to the world and characters he has built.

Where the writing does falter slightly is in the character's intentions and objectives. It doesn't quite sell on the idea why they endure each other’s ill-mannered company, particularly Fran who in theory should have little to gain by their encounter. There are also some questionable actions taken such as Fran’s decision to seduce Kevin or Kevin’s excessive over-reactions towards Fran. These moments don’t quite seem natural and tip the balance from farcical into implausible.

Tables Manners is an enjoyable watch with more than enough humour to offset the less linear areas of the plot, largely owed to an ensemble performance deserving of its large audience. With a more focussed first act and a little more rationale for some of the character choices it could very well have the ingredients which made Ayckbourn’s namesake play so special.

TABLE MANNERS at Drayton Arms Theatre 19 - 23 Sep

Box Office http://www.draytonarmstheatre.co.uk/table-manners

Freak Geese Productions on Twitter: @FreakyGeese

Writer: Sebastian Kainth

Director: Rhys Ashcroft

Cast

Lisa: Iona Crampton

Kevin: Sebastian Kainth

Fran: Molly Barton

Rich: Dan Le Friec

Reviewed by John Montgomery