GARY FRY

CHECKING OUT The bed and breakfast – the cheapest he’d found during a quick squint online – looked good enough. Johnson parked outside it, got out of the car, and hauled his overnight case from the backseat. The road led on to the centre of a small village boasting many rundown outlets. He’d have a wander down there later – seeking second-hand DVDs, maybe even grabbing a cheeky afternoon pint before eating – but first he must check in. The property, one of a row of terraces, was fronted by a smart arched portico. Autumn cloud robbed the image of the sunshine gloss he’d reviewed on the website, but Johnson was in no position to complain about that. This was the latest leg of his sales tour of the north-east, selling trinkets bearing little resemblance to presentations in the company catalogue. He knew all about the gap between fake and authentic. A sharp chime of a hand-bell inside summoned a man so short he struggled to deal with items on the reception counter. When he ...

THE DIVIDE by Alan Ayckbourn (PS Publishing) Review by Gary Fry It’s always been difficult to keep up with Sir Alan Ayckbourn’s prolific output. I try my best. Of the 83 stage plays he’s written since the 1960s – from early undisputed classics such as The Norman Conquests and Absurd Person Singular to tricksy modern masterworks like Arrivals and Departures and (his very latest) Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present – I’ve seen or read about 70. The range of his work is striking, including straight adult dramas (with often ingenious structures), genre material (sci-fi, thrillers, ghost stories), musicals, and children’s plays. And now he’s added a new form to his repertoire, the literary novel. Slow down, man! You’re giving me whiplash! Although The Divide was conceived and written as a novel, it was first presented onstage (in a shortened version) as a rehearsed reading (or a “narrative for voices”), a treat for regulars during the Stephen Joseph Theatre’s 60 th anniversar...