Preview:

Turning 40 is often said to trigger a mid-life crisis. The Bart Players have probably never been in such good shape, but it's interesting to note that director Deborah Lisburne Diacon is marking the group's anniversary with a bittersweet comedy centred on mini-wars of attrition, failed relationships and dreams of a new beginning.
Four vignettes are set inside a hotel, split into two acts. 'Visitor from New York' details the battle between a divorced couple over living arrangements for their daughter; 'Visitor from Philadelphia' concerns a businessman hiding a drunken prostitute; 'Visitors from London' features a neurotic actress in town for the Oscars whose husband is in the closet (not literally – beds and bathrooms are more important throughout this play). Finally, in 'Visitors from Chicago' two couples clash after one's wife is injured playing tennis.

As with Neil Simon's Plaza Suite, there's plenty of dry wit to savour – especially in scene one, in which Hannah (Caroline Knight) and Bill (Nick Smith) exchange withering putdowns. Overacting is de rigueur as a bouffant, dishevelled Gareth Hammond pleads forgiveness from wife Millie (a feisty Claire Johnson) for his drunken fling with a comatose hooker (Ellina Mikhailova), prompting a Fawlty-esque encounter. In the third playlet, Denise Santilli and Steve Ashcroft are in top form, conveying vulnerability and tenderness as troubled couple Diana and Sidney.
The arrivals from Chicago are Jewish stereotypes. Rory Phillips chews the scenery (designed by Steve Ashcroft) as the irascible Mort while Bea New is his kvetching drama queen of a wife, Beth. The strain of a long holiday with their more demure friends Stu and Gert (Joe O'Connor and Laurence Goodwin) is clearly telling – with painfully amusing results. This results in a crescendo of silliness; you may well see the occasional unforced grin on the cast's faces during the tomfoolery. Incidentally, hailing from the USA, Laurence is the dialect coach for this production and while there are a few stray twangs here and there, the Players do remarkably well.

Scenery changes involve hotel staff (Sally Firth, Judith Essery) rearranging the furniture, which slows the pace somewhat. There are nice touches to the set, such as safety posters on doors and a New York newspaper poking out of a suitcase in the opening scene. This production, with its West Coast soundtrack, is sure to provoke fond nostalgia for some … though probably not involving ladies of the night nor bust-ups over tennis.