Round And Round The Garden, Darlington Civic Theatre

ANNIE (Jo Castleton) is single, thirtysomething and a full-time carer for her mother, in the home where she and her brother and sister grew up. She has a cat which receives an inordinate amount of care and attention from vet Tom (Ben Roddy), also single and thirtysomething. During his frequent home visits to his feline patient Tom is totally unable to engage with Annie in the romantic way he would like; his tender and caring side is reserved for animals and not people.

Annie has asked her brother Reg (Kevin Pallister) and his wife Sarah (Natasha Gray) to stay the weekend at her Sussex home to care for Mum so that Annie can take a weekend break, and we discover early on that she intends to spend it with her brother-in-law Norman (Philip Stewart). Married to Annie’s sister Ruth (Louise Faulkner), Norman has a reputation as a ladies’ man (unfathomable, since he turns up at the house in a bobble hat, carrying a cardboard suitcase). Norman just wants to make the ladies in his life happy, and when Annie decides against the romantic weekend away he turns his attention to Sarah, who is quite flattered. However, Sarah has alerted Norman’s wife to Annie’s intentions and Ruth turns up to take the situation in hand.

There are many complications to the plot and although this is not one of Alan Ayckbourn’s best plays, it has plenty of funny dialogue delivered by an experienced and (if you’re a soap fan) well-known cast. This is the first run of a new UK tour which should do well.

* Runs until tonight. Box office: 01325-486555 or darlingtoncivic.co.uk

Sue Heath