Nicely crafted trilogy of plays, the same events viewed from three different vantage points; what seems a pat and somewhat dated ending for the first gets increasingly complicated until the third run through complicates the sexual politics that have gone before. ( )

While this is not the top of Ayckbourn's portfolio, it does crackle with witty dialogue, much of which I didn't appreciate as much when I watched it as when I read it. The usual set up of a dysfunctional family tearing themselves apart over trifles, expanded in typical Ayckbournian fashion to retell the same story in three different locations. In each of the three plays, we see a different slice of a weekend, which means we get to see the story play out in different ways through different eyes. Ayckbourn should be a must read for any aspiring playwright, because he demonstrates so clearly what a difference location makes in a script, and also what a difference point of view can make. ( )