Joking Apart is a 1978 play by English playwright Alan Ayckbourn.

Joking Apart
Written byAlan Ayckbourn
CharactersRichard
Anthea
Hugh
Louise
Sven
Olive
Brian
Melody / Mandy / Mo / Debbie
Date premiered11 January 1978
Place premieredStephen Joseph Theatre
Original languageEnglish
SettingFour parties over 12 years
Alan Ayckbourn chronology
Ten Times Table
(1977)
Sisterly Feelings
(1979)

Overview

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Written in response to comments that Ayckbourn only ever wrote about unhappy couples, the play follows Richard and Anthea, a perfect and happily married couple who inadvertently worsen the lives of the couples they have befriended over the course of 12 years: Hugh and Louise, Sven and Olive, and Brian and his seemingly never-ending stream of unsteady girlfriends (Melody, Mandy, Mo, and Debbie). In most productions, Brian's girlfriends are portrayed by the same actress, with characters commenting on their similar physical appearances.

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