An Alan Ayckbourn comedy about social climbing in the 1970s can be seen on stage in Cambridge next week.

London Classic Theatre reinvent the playwright’s 1972 classic Absurd Person Singular at Cambridge Arts Theatre from Tuesday, September 7 to Saturday, September 11.

It will be the first Ayckbourn play at the Cambridge theatre in St Edward’s Passage since 2017.

Cambs Times: Paul Sandys, Graham O'Mara, Rosanna Miles, Felicity Houlbrooke, and Helen Keeley in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn.Paul Sandys, Graham O'Mara, Rosanna Miles, Felicity Houlbrooke, and Helen Keeley in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn. (Image: Sheila Burnett)

The play features three married couples, three kitchens, and three Christmas parties.

Sidney Hopcroft, a small-time tradesman, persuades wife Jane to throw a Christmas party hoping to find favour with a bank manager and local architect.

As the celebrations get under way, class differences and naked ambition combine to hilarious effect as, one by one, the characters seek refuge in Jane’s kitchen.

Over the next two years, the Jacksons and Brewster-Wrights take turns to host festivities.

Cambs Times: Paul Sandys as Sidney Hopcroft in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn.Paul Sandys as Sidney Hopcroft in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn. (Image: Sheila Burnett)

But Sidney’s star has begun to rise, and roles are increasingly reversed as the cracks in the other couples’ marriages begin to show.

Directed by Michael Cabot, Ayckbourn’s comic masterpiece of social climbing in 1970s suburbia fuses a potent mix of farce and black comedy.

Cambs Times: Rosanna Miles as Marion, Graham O'Mara as Ronald Brewster-Wright, and Helen Keeley as Eva Jackson in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn.Rosanna Miles as Marion, Graham O'Mara as Ronald Brewster-Wright, and Helen Keeley as Eva Jackson in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn. (Image: Sheila Burnett)

Performances at Cambridge Arts Theatre take place at 7.30pm Tuesday to Saturday, with matinees at 2.30pm on the Thursday and Saturday.

Tickets cost from £20 to £35. All ticket prices include a £3 per-ticket booking fee.

Call the box office on 01223 503333 or book online at www.cambridgeartstheatre.com

Cambs Times: Graham O'Mara as Ronald Brewster-Wright in Absurd Person Singular.Graham O'Mara as Ronald Brewster-Wright in Absurd Person Singular. (Image: Sheila Burnett)

Cambs Times: Rosanna Miles as Marion Brewster-Wright in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn.Rosanna Miles as Marion Brewster-Wright in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn. (Image: Sheila Burnett)

Cambs Times: Felicity Houlbrooke as Jane Hopcroft in Absurd Person Singular.Felicity Houlbrooke as Jane Hopcroft in Absurd Person Singular. (Image: Sheila Burnett)

Cambs Times: Helen Keeley as Eva Jackson in Absurd Person Singular.Helen Keeley as Eva Jackson in Absurd Person Singular. (Image: Sheila Burnett)

Cambs Times: John Dorney as Geoffrey Jackson in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn, which can be seen at Cambridge Arts Theatre.John Dorney as Geoffrey Jackson in Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn, which can be seen at Cambridge Arts Theatre. (Image: Sheila Burnett)

Cambs Times: London Classic Theatre presents Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn at Cambridge Arts Theatre. Pictured are John Dorney as Geoffrey Jackson, Felicity Houlbrooke as Jane Hopcroft, and Paul Sandys as Sidney Hopcroft.London Classic Theatre presents Absurd Person Singular by Alan Ayckbourn at Cambridge Arts Theatre. Pictured are John Dorney as Geoffrey Jackson, Felicity Houlbrooke as Jane Hopcroft, and Paul Sandys as Sidney Hopcroft. (Image: Sheila Burnett)