The Good Life at The Little Theatre

Whether or not you have watched the TV series, The Little Theatre’s production of The Good Life is a joyous piece of comedic theatre and an excellent way to spend an evening. The Good Life is an adaptation of the beloved ‘70s BBC sitcom of the same name. The play is broken into four acts in the form of episodes: Beginnings, The Goat, Pig Nativity, and After-party.

Tom Good (Freddie Dobrijevic) and Barbara Good (Liz Kavanagh) are a happily married couple in Surbiton. But as Tom turns 40, he realises something is missing. “I’m now officially past it,” he muses before going on to take stock of their life.

The result of this mid-life crisis leads Tom to quit his job designing plastic toys for cereal boxes and both he and Barbara jointly decide to live “The Good Life” and become self-sufficient. They transform their garden into an allotment to grow food and raise a goat, chickens, and pigs. This causes some alarm for neighbour Margo Leadbetter (Alexandra Elliott) and her husband Jerry Leadbetter (David Lovell) with whom Tom used to work.

The comedy of the play is derived both from the ensuing chaos of the Goods living The Good Life and from the stark contrast in the Leadbetters’ lifestyle. From trying to create goat’s butter, to birthing piglets the play has ample servings of humorous moments.

The casting of this production is sublime. I doubt that a professional cast could have done a better job.

The chemistry between Kavanagh and Dobrijevic as the Goods is utterly convincing. Their characters are clearly in love and they portray both the joys and frustrations of living The Good Life. Although Tom can be bossy on occasion, Kavanagh portrays Barbara as being more than capable of holding her own delivering quick-witted lines with strength and affection.

The Leadbetter’s relationship is not as outwardly loving as the Good’s, though this gives Elliott and Lovell a chance to showcase their skills in delivering well-paced repartee. Jerry may fancy Barbara, but he still cares deeply for Margo and waits on her hand-and-foot.

Jon Worthy, Clare Snow, Carissma Griffiths, and Ian Salmon are strong supporting actors and switch well in and out of their various roles. Salmon is a particular joy to watch as Harry the Pigman, bringing a cheeky energy to the character.

The first act sets up the characters well. Ruth Cheetham’s direction is measured and ensures the audience cares about the Goods and the Leadbetters. This makes the humour hit harder and the story carry more weight.

Act 2 is by far my favourite episode of the show. It builds slowly, introducing all the elements required to deliver a belly-laugh inducing crescendo of comedy in the final scene. The audience are in hysterics as everything pays off with physical calamity. A perfect way to end the first half of the show before going into the interval.

The second half of the show doesn’t have quite the same energy, though. Although still good fun, Acts 3 and 4 don’t have the same comedic payoff as Act 2, opting for a slower pace and milder humour. This is no fault of the cast and crew, and lies in Jeremy Sams’ script. Given the extreme high that the first half ends on, it is a shame that the second half doesn’t do the same.

Abby Glover’s set design is idyllic. The stage is split in half, showing the Good’s kitchen and the Leadbetter’s living room and is reminiscent of a studio sitcom stage. The attention to detail is excellent and you can well imagine that the characters inhabit those spaces.

And, of course, no review of this production can go without mention of the goat, Geraldine! Glover designed the goat and, according to the programme, crafted it from a second-hand footstool. The result is surprisingly realistic. Many highlights of the show are when Geraldine is on stage.

If you are after a shot of nostalgia and good-hearted comedy, The Little Theatre’s production of The Good Life is for you.