By Steve Stratford, Deputy Editor

One of the perks of working in the media is that you get the occasional freebie, and last night it was the press launch of the latest touring play to hit Venue Cymru, Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce.

I like Ayckbourn, I like silly comedies, and I think some of the acting talent recruited in this case made it a treat not to miss.

It stars former Doctor Who Colin Baker and former Doctor Who assistant Louise Jameson as a husband and wife whose accident-prone son Trevor tends to destroy everything and everyone he meets. And he certainly does in this amusing play, ruining everything from a newlywed couple's housewarming party to a set of admittedly rickety bedroom drawers.

The stage for Bedroom Farce is divided into three bedrooms, with the action moving between the three throughout the evening, the characters interacting with one another as the plot spirals out of control.

This isn't one of Ayckbourn's funniest plays, but it's certainly amusing enough, and there are a fair few laugh-out-loud moments, mainly provided by Baker and Jameson as the exasperated parents. In fact, Baker plays comedy very well for saying he is predominantly known for dramatic roles.

In a show-stealing performance is former EastEnder Natalie Cassidy in her first dramatic role since leaving the soap. I was stunned at first by how much weight Natalie seems to have lost since those heady days of playing Sonia, and she looks good on it. Her larger than life performance is perhaps a little too pronounced to fit the mood the other actors are trying to maintain (one of exasperation but truthfulness), but I know there are people out there as scatty, simple-minded and sweet as her character Kate, so maybe it's meant to be that way. Either way, it's a very good performance.

Another star of the show is James Midgeley's Malcolm, whose growing paranoia about his abilities in the bedroom provide some hilarious moments in the second half. In fact, it is Kate and Malcolm's story that holds the most interest, and the linking storyline of dour Trevor and his completely bonkers wife Susannah lacks a lightness of touch until the very end.

Cassidy and Midgeley are the surprise stars of this show, and Baker and Jameson show wonderful professionalism in how to handle the material effectively, but the real thing that lets the night down is Ayckbourn's story. There's nothing wrong with the writing, but it's the actual story which lets the piece down, in my view. The characters seemed to deserve better.

I would still recommend anybody went along to see it all this week at Venue Cymru. It's important we support touring theatre at this expanding venue, because judging by last night's attendance, the box office might be a little disappointed for a first night.

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