| Joking Apart | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Written by | Alan Ayckbourn | ||
| Characters | Richard Anthea Hugh Louise Sven Olive Brian Melody / Mandy / Mo / Debbie | ||
| Date premiered | 11 January 1978 | ||
| Place premiered | Stephen Joseph Theatre | ||
| Original language | English | ||
| Setting | Four parties over 12 years | ||
| Alan Ayckbourn chronology | |||
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Joking Apart is a 1978 play by English playwright Alan Ayckbourn.
Written in response to comments that Ayckbourn only ever wrote about unhappy couples, the play follows Richard and Anthea, a perfect and happily married couple who inadvertently worsen the lives of the couples they have befriended over the course of 12 years: Hugh and Louise, Sven and Olive, and Brian and his seemingly never-ending stream of unsteady girlfriends (Melody, Mandy, Mo, and Debbie). In most productions, Brian's girlfriends are portrayed by the same actress, with characters commenting on their similar physical appearances.