Confusions

Blurb

Confusions is a play by Alan Ayckbourn consisting of a series of five interconnected one-act plays. It was first staged in 1974 and played by just five actors. The scenes are all loosely linked by characters or locations, but more subtly through the common underlying themes of obsession, isolation and human desire for companionship.
Ayckbourn is essentially a chronicler and editor of human behaviour. He juxtaposes the thoughts and dialogue of his characters in order to portray a faithful record of their lives. This is not a random exercise but the product of a process of sensitive selection on his part. We are invited to become eavesdroppers on people and situations which are carefully orchestrated with delicate theatrical ingenuity. These painstakingly-created, suburban problems displayed on the stage for our benefit thus take on a greater significance. They become capable of being transformed into symbols of universal insecurities and anxieties. They are Hamlet's "mirror held up to nature" reflecting, through comedy and farce, the often tragic undertones of our contemporary society.
Mother Figure