Bringing The House down at the Maltings Arts Theatre

Theatre company KatAlyst is preparing to have audiences rolling in the aisles with their upcoming run of American comedy The House by Brian Parks.

The House can be seen on stage in St Albans from Thursday, September 14 to Saturday, September 16.

The play is a social satire focusing on two couples – one who are selling their beloved family home and the other who are buying it.

All seems well as contracts are signed, but as the drinks start flowing and truths emerge about controversial renovation plans, the happy homeowners quickly find that some things are too hard to let go.

Directed by Keith Myers, The House was previously staged by the So & So Arts Club as part of their Ever Hopeful rep season back in 2015.

During its first run, the production played to full houses and received five star reviews from Female Arts, who described it as “a gem of a play that deserves to be widely seen”.

“Ever since the first read-through two years ago, the play has had us laughing out loud, despite its serious undertone,” said director Keith Myers.

“It’s a hugely relatable comedy that addresses the sometimes hilarious pitfalls that come from selling a beloved home, and serves as a light-hearted reminder of our own shortcomings when faced with stressful situations.”

He added: “In times like these, people need some light relief and we hope to bring just that to theatre-goers in and around St Albans in the form of this modern, witty play performed by a comedy ‘dream team’.”

Three of the original 2015 team will be returning to the script for the 2017 run of the show.

Nigel Fairs and Kat Rogers will reprise their roles as Martyn and Shanny Redmond, the sellers of The House, while Edwin Flay will once again be treading the boards as Fischer Libett, one of the soon-to-be homeowners.

The original trio are also delighted to welcome Sally Paffett to the cast.

Sally joins the production as Fischer’s tenacious wife, Lindsay Libbert.

The House promises to be a play of comic entertainment with a professional cast who will have you crying with laughter at the steady decline of niceties as battle lines are drawn between two households.

Performances start at 8pm.

• Tickets are £12, and £10 concessions, and can be bought from the box office, by phone on 0333 666 3366 or online at www.maltingsartstheatre.co.uk

For more information on KatAlyst Productions, visit www.katalystpro.com