How the Other Half Loves

About How the Other Half Loves

How the Other Half Loves is a play by Alan Ayckbourn, running at The Old Vic in London. First performed in 1969, the comedy follows three couples, the Fosters, the Phillipses, and the Featherstones, whose lives become entangled through a single marital indiscretion and the web of lies that follows. Ayckbourn's signature device, a split-stage set representing two households simultaneously, allows the chaos of two dinner parties happening on the same evening to unfold in parallel, a structural trick that remains one of the cleverest in British comedy writing.

This revival is directed by Phillip Breen, whose production brings fresh energy to a script that has lost none of its precision. The play runs at approximately two hours and is performed by an ensemble cast working across the overlapping domestic spaces that define Ayckbourn's design.

What to expect

Audiences follow the escalating misunderstandings as each couple attempts to conceal the truth from the others, with the Featherstones caught in the middle as unwitting alibis for both the Fosters and the Phillipses. The comedy builds through timing and misdirection rather than slapstick, with Ayckbourn's dialogue doing the heavy lifting. The split-stage staging means two scenes play out at once, requiring close attention and rewarding it with compounding absurdity. Tickets are available across a range of seating tiers at The Old Vic, with performances scheduled across the production's limited run.

The Old Vic and getting there

The Old Vic is one of London's most storied theatres, opened in 1818 and seating around 1,000 across its stalls, dress circle, and gallery. Located on The Cut in Waterloo, it sits a short walk from Waterloo and Lambeth North stations. For more productions and events at this address, see the full The Old Vic schedule.