Farcicals – a new pair of one-act comedies by the prolific Ayckbourn – is a conscious attempt by the playwright to find “some sunnier places” in contrast to what my fellow Daily Info reviewer referred to as his “emotionally wrenching” Arrivals & Departures (also showing at the Playhouse this week). Both farces feature the same two couples as they navigate the world of failing marriages and love affairs during two summer afternoons in each others' gardens. In the first play – Chloë with Love – a dowdy wife is encouraged to dress glamorously to reinvigorate her marriage to the husband she suspects may be cheating on her. In the second – The Kidderminster Affair – a tryst between two of the married partners slowly comes to light during a disastrous barbecue.

Ayckbourn's stated intention in writing Farcicals was to create something with absolutely no serious content, and the result is a pair of light, frothy playlets. This does mean, however, that much of the material feels familiar, and even old fashioned: the women talk about clothes and how little housework men do, while the men talk of cricket and how much the women talk about clothes. While this may have been a deliberate attempt by the writer to establish character quickly in the confines of these short pieces, it does make the whole thing feel like something that might have been written 40 years ago. This being said, the two plays are undoubtedly fun, and the performances from the four cast members are excellent. They effortlessly capture the inanity of these typical Ayckbourn suburbanites as they make awkward small-talk and rehash the same conversations they've clearly been having for years.

The play is simply staged, one set filling in for both gardens, with minimal sound and lighting. It may be a result of running three plays simultaneously, but the lighting was not ideal, the actors occasionally straying into shadow at the edges of the set.

Minor niggles aside, Farcicals is a fun, undemanding way to spend an afternoon, with perhaps the same guilty pleasure as an old favourite, if unfashionable, film. And sometimes that's exactly what you need.