The Yvonne Arnaud has the privilege of presenting the first post-London production of Alan Ayckbourn’s two related comedies Sisterly Feelings. Two sisters toss up for the chance of walking home with a bronzed young man. Heads—The Abigail Play—portrays the set of events when the married sister wins the toss; Tails—The Dorcas Play—when the single girl wins. In the end their lives may not have been altered much, but we watch and listen along the way.

Tessa Peake-Jones as the radio-presenter sister reveals that special incandescent spark she has just shown on TV in The Bell. Trudie Styler, also in this TV serial, is the married sister. Perhaps the play does not delineate sufficiently for dramatic purposes between the two girls.  Cecil Humphreys adorns the self-centred Adonis they both find attractive at first—but less so later. Wyn Jones as the poet hankering after Dorcas reminds us of Tom Conti in The Norman Conquests. What more can one say about Peter Sallis? His vocal timbre and timing makes his talent truly individual and always a riveting delight.

The knockabout comedy is in the hands of Bryan Pringle and Barbara Keogh, who falls with regularity on Hugh Durrant’s rather claustrophobic hillside set. The young lovers are played by Richard Huw and Sarah London, making her debut professionally, whilst Brian Jameson invests a dullard with humour  as Abigail’s accountant husband. Peter Barkworth keeps control of this untidy set of characters in his rare role of director. But even he cannot conjure a satisfactory ending, as the sisters seem to settle for the lesser of two evils in their respective lives. Didn’t Ayckbourn consider a third, less cosy way for them to discard both their suitors and seek the perfect man?