If I Were You. The Caxton Players, Caxton Theatre, Grimsby. 19 April 2025.

Sir Alan Aykbourn is Britain’s most successful playwright of recent years. He is an acclaimed director; he has worked extensively in the West End and at the National Theatre. He has written and produced 91 plays to date, many of which have been produced in the West End and New York as well as around the world. Back in the 1990s a new teacher, named Richard Stacey, came to Grimsby to teach at Franklin College. He joined the Caxton Players, found a love of acting, left teaching, went to RADA and became a professional actor. He became one of Alan Aykbourn’s favourite performers and has appeared in many of his plays since. On a return visit to Grimsby, Richard Stacey led a workshop for the Caxton Players and introduced them to this play, which encouraged Director Nigel Stolworthy to consider staging it.

I was fortunate enough to be invited to see the production this week, though unfortunately, one of the five performers was taken ill at the last minute and was unable to perform, with the Caxtons’ prompt standing in and reading her lines throughout, which did have an impact on the production and Review Culture would like to wish Elizabeth Morse well for the run of the show and trust that she will make a swift return in good health.

The play revolves around the life of an ordinary family, Mal and Jill, their children Crissie and Sam and the son-in-law, Dean. This is not a happy family and the much-maligned mother, Jill, has to cope with a cheating, misogynistic husband, Mal, a truculent son, Sam and the troubling life of her daughter, Chrissie who is clearly the victim of abuse within her marriage at the hands of Dean.

It is not one of Aykbourn’s best scripts sadly, though it does have laugh out loud moments that the audience will enjoy. The first act feels rather long as the exposition places everyone within the world and reminds us, that poor Jill “looks awful”. She is downtrodden and weary. It is not until the end of the first act that we are given a twist that drives home the comedy in the second act. The couple wake up having somehow, inexplicably, switched bodies and have to convince the world that everything is fine, as each attempts to live the other's life.

The troubled couple played by Liz Drury and Martyn Traylen have a great dynamic as Mal and Jill. Traylen in particular gives a really convincing performance as the love rat who has no time for others and is only concerned with indulging his wants and desires. The change he makes to his characterisation as "Jill" is very funny. Considering this is his debut for the Caxton Players, his performance is very believable. Drury is given little to work with during the first act, as a defeated, dreary wife but really comes into her own when transformed into Mal in the second act. Her physical performance is excellent as she man-spreads like every annoying man on a bus or a train. I don’t want to give too much away here but the pair literally transform giving very different performances after the interval and this is where the audience will really enjoy the humour.

Ryan Sowerby, last seen as a detective in Girl on the Train, brings a very different character to life here as Dean, the son-in-law of Mal and also his co-worker. Dean is a boozy, rugby-playing individual who become an ugly bully when drunk. Yet Dean worships his father-in-law and aspires to be just like him. Sowerby’s delivery and general timing is very good and though potentially, deeply unlikeable, he manages to give Dean a sympathetic quality as he persistently struggles to live up to Mal’s expectations.

The role of Mal and Jill’s youngest child is played by 14-year-old Alfie Parrott, making his debut for the Caxton Players as the troubled teen with dreams of becoming and actor, much to the chagrin of his father. He argues, shouts and stomps and slams doors - in other words, a typical teenager. A keen performer at school, Parrott makes an impact on his Caxton debut.

The show runs at the Caxton Theatre from 19 – 26 April 2025. Shows start at 7:30pm. Tickets are available.

Andy Evans