By Alan Ayckbourn
Directed by David Whiteley
June 18‒28, 2025 at The Gladstone Theatre
Preview June 18; Opening Night June 19; June 24‒28
all dates 7:30pm + 2:30pm matinee Sat June 28
Tickets through www.thegladstone.ca
cinematic • endearing • whimsical
“It’s like Pulp Fiction without the violence.”—Alan Ayckbourn
“But it’s more like Love Actually with brains.”—David Whiteley
“Rueful, funny, touching and altogether wonderful”—New York Times
Run Time: 105 minutes with no intermission
Finally, an Ayckbourn play for the 21st century! Written a year after Love Actually and echoing some of its best elements, but better: where Love Actually is all heart and belly laughs, Private Fears has heart, belly and brain. Sir Alan has previously tickled Gladstone audiences with his well-known early hits How the Other Half Loves, Bedroom Farce, Absurd Person Singular and The Norman Conquests. In this more mature work, “Britain’s Neil Simon” trades in the artifice of his earlier plays for a contemporary, film-like style. Private Fears depicts the loneliness of life in the big city. Though the style may be new, Ayckbourn’s genius shines bright as ever. With his trademark mix of humour, insight and compassion, Sir Alan deftly interweaves three stories about six Londoners searching for love, sex, and a decent apartment.