A PLAY billed as one of the most amusing ever from the pen of Alan Ayckbourn is set to entertain a Malvern Theatres audience.

And Robert Powell and Liza Goddard will be the big name stars

The comedy, "Relatively Speaking" will enjoy a run at Malvern from Monday, October 24 to Saturday, October 29.

The play has certainly had its drum-beaters, with a critic of The Times hailing it as the "most brilliant comedy of misunderstandings to have been written in the past 40 years”.

A spokesman said: "This new production from Theatre Royal Bath Productions promises to be a joyfully funny take on one of Ayckbourn’s funniest plays and the one which turned him into a household name

"Beautifully crafted, wonderfully funny and charmingly English, when the show opened at the Duke of York’s Theatre in 1967, the critics hailed the arrival of a great new comic talent."

The plot is full of Ayckbourn twists and turns.

Greg only met Ginny a month ago but has already made up his mind that she’s the girl for him. When she tells him that she’s going to visit her parents, he decides this is the moment to ask her father for his daughter’s hand. Discovering a scribbled address, he follows her to Buckinghamshire where he finds Philip and Sheila enjoying a peaceful Sunday morning breakfast in the garden, but the only thing is, they’re not Ginny’s parents.

The spokesman added: "Robert Powell received multiple awards and a BAFTA nomination for his portrayal of Jesus in Franco Zefferelli’s Jesus of Nazareth. His extensive stage performances include Alan Bennett’s Single Spies, Jeffrey Bernard is Unwell and most recently King Charles III.

"Liza Goddard is one of the UK’s favourite actresses. Her extensive range of Ayckbourn credits includes Life of Riley, Communicating Doors, Season’s Greetings, Life and Beth and If I Were You. Television work includes cult classics Doctor Who and Bergerac. She has made guest appearances in BBC’s Wild West, CITV’s Out of Sight and ITV’s Midsomer Murders."

Tickets are on sale at the Box Office 01684 892277 and online at malvern-theatres.co.uk