We've all seen them in action - cringed at their antics, fumed at their pomposity, bemoaned their predicament.
You know the types - the hyper-confident smooth talker who thinks he's God's gift to women; the chirpy, domineering event organiser who runs things with military precision and the stressed out, devoted mum whose enforced absence from the company of adults has bewildering effects on her behaviour.
And there they are this week, in all their glory, on stage at The Theatre Royal in Windsor, among the myriad of characters amusing and annoying us in equal amounts, courtesy of Alan Ayckbourn's much-celebrated gem, Confusions.
It was first staged more than 40 years ago, but its wry observations of human behaviour, its pathos and its comedic qualities have not diminished over the succeeding years - a tribute to the skills of one of our most celebrated living playwrights.
Confusions is actually a sequence of five one-acts plays, meticulously woven together with a common thread of a single character from each.
Ayckbourn himself directs this production, staged by members of his beloved Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough.
'Astonishing transformations'
None of the five-strong cast is a household name, but so what? They excel themselves, meeting every challenge thrown at them and producing a plethora of wonderfully-observed characters in a variety of situations which are lifted above the prosaic by the inventiveness of Ayckbourn and the skills of the actors.
So adept are those on stage at switching roles - with more than a little help, of course, from the wardrobe department - that when only five people come on to take a final bow, a glimpse at the cast list is necessary to confirm that another actor or two wasn't secreted away somewhere!
The astonishing transformations they all have to undergo are epitomised by Richard Stacey, who is required to taken on the seriously contrasting roles of the womanising, smarmy, travelling salesman Harry and an aged, dithering vicar.
Likewise, Russell Dixon, a member of the 'Ayckbourn team' for more than 35 years, is both the pompous company boss cheating on his wife and, after the interval, the irritating, harassed organiser of the Gosforth gala fete, whose misdemeanours with the timid local primary school teacher, Millie, are inadvertently broadcast over the PA system.
The two female members of the cast, Elizabeth Boag and Emma Manton, both meet every character change challenge that comes their way, whether it be fending off the drunken advances of the awful Harry or in Elizabeth's case, portraying mum on the edge of a breakdown Lucy and, later, a prim and proper middle-aged councillor required to open the fete amid a series of minor disasters. Emma, meanwhile, is also a nosy neighbour, a cheating wife and the aforementioned put upon Millie.
Stephen Billington, among his catalogue of characters, is superb as the waiter who fusses over a disinterested pair of couples. Perfect timing is required from all involved as he breezes around the restaurant - we, like him, only hearing snatches of the personal dramas unfolding over the main course.
Applause for stagehands
There's a final poignant sequence in this thought-provoking yet highly-amusing evening examining human frailties and selfishness, much of which shows the male of the species in a far from flattering light.
The five in the cast sit in the sunshine in a park and, following the theme of the evening, switch from one bench to another, each new situation a link with the others. It's an apt way to round off this slice of Ayckbourn at his best.
Incidentally, it's not often that stage hands, quickly and efficiently going about their tasks in the semi-darkness between scenes, get a round of applause from the audience. But that's just what happens during Confusions, when two of the team have to carefully manhandle a huge trestle table top, laden with cups and saucers and other paraphernalia, carefully from the stage. No mean feat!
In between performances of Confusions, The Theatre Royal is staging Ayckbourn's latest play, his 79th in total, Hero's Welcome this week. It concerns the return of a young war hero, who brings his new bride back to his boyhood home amid a fanfare of welcome. But his return results in a volley of rivalries and resentments among friends and relatives.
Confusions and Hero's Welcome are at The Theatre Royal, Windsor until Saturday February 13 .
Performances of Confusions are on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, with a matinée on Saturday at 4.45pm. Performances of Hero's Welcome are on Tuesday and Wednesday at 8pm, with a matinée on Thursday at 2.30pm.
The Theatre Royal , 32 Thames Street, Windsor, West Berkshire, SL4 1PS - 01753 853 888
