Alan Ayckbourn's House and Garden is a remarkable coupling of two separate productions.

Both plays run simultaneously in the same theatre (on two separate stages), use the same actors and are dependent on making sure both scripts are synchronised.

And before you think how can the audience be in two places at once, do not fear - both House and Garden can be seen on their own.

The story takes place during a day in August and centres around a garden fête being held at the country home of Teddy and Trish Platt (played by John Branwell and Joanna van Gyseghem).

Trish hasn't spoken to Teddy for weeks, due to his infidelity, and is quite content to pretend he doesn't exist and Teddy - who "keeps things going" in the family firm - hopes to follow his father and grandfather by being selected as an MP.

Gavin Ryng-Mayne (John Warnaby) - novelist and personal friend of the Prime Minister - has been invited to lunch to talk about Teddy's selection, but things for the ostracised Teddy Platt seem set to go from bad to worse.

Also at lunch is the beautiful Lucille Cadeau (Félicité du Jeu) - a French actress who has been invited to open the fete - but somehow you just know things are not going to go to plan.

Lavinia Bertram as Izzie

Add to this Sally (Jenni Maitland), the Platt's daughter who thinks she's older than she is; neighbours Giles and Joanna Mace (Bill Champion and Pippa Haywood), whose marriage is also looking dubious; the Maces's rather wet son Jake (Tom Lawrence) who's in love with Sally; a deranged housekeeper (Lavinia Bertram) and a lusty cleaner (Sophie Duval) and you've got some great theatre on your hands!

I really liked this production - it is beautifully paced, benefiting, as it does, from a wonderful Ayckbourn script; it is performed by a highly-professional ensemble, the members of which are clearly enjoying themselves.

The cast were all, without question, exceptionally professional, talented and fit - running, as they do, between House on the main stage and Garden in the Salberg Studio.

Richard Kane as Warn and Sophie Duval as Pearl

There are overtones of classical farce and, at times, even a definite hint of Fawlty Towers.

Like a magician, Ayckbourn interweaves deftly aspects of love, relationships and sex, with fidelity, marriage, and lust, as well as how to spot a decent claret!

Although there were times when the players' lines were lost to the audience's laughter it might have been that the actors were rather more concerned about missing their cues in the Salberg by letting things drift!

No doubt keeping a tight reign on timing was director Tim Luscombe, who had clearly worked on such aspects as body language and stage positioning to demonstrate the unspoken relationship between characters.

Credit as well to the play's designer Michael Holt, whose solid and believable room sets (and use of 'real' rain!) added weight to the actors' convincing performances.

I enjoyed the play's resolutions and conclusions - so many 'clever' productions try to bring the beginning to the end and the end to the beginning and fail to develop anything in the middle - but House drew the themes together beautifully, while maintaining the old theatre adage: 'always leave them wanting more'!

Now I can't wait to get outdoors and find out what was going on in the garden while we were indoors being entertained by Teddy and Trish.

And I guess the Playhouse must be pleased with double the ticket sales!!

JH