The Safari Party was written by Tim Firth in 1992. It's a witty play somewhere between farce and comedy - if such a space exists! As a farce it is full of relay-race confusions. Once the characters start being fanciful, rather than economical, with the truth then chaos begins. What leans towards comedy, Shakespearean comedy, is that in the last act several characters resolve to tell the truth and thereby sort their situations out. A morality emerges.
      A Safari Party - I didn't know beforehand, probably because I don't live in the country and move in those circles - is a party where each course is served in a different house by a different host. The walk between - the safari, though presumably not to shoot the next course - constitutes an integral element in the event. Of course, this can lead to comparisons. The fading farming family, scraping by with spreading lavender water on a landfill, had to sell an old table on which, allegedly, their father shot himself (an early fabrication); and the nouveau riche, arriviste, family bought the table purportedly as an original 'butty-ball' (a mythological country game) table for four or five times the amount from a country antique dealer whose external respectability and snobby attitude to 'new conservatories attached to old barns' belie her deceitful practices and scornful attitudes. She may look like a Laura Ashley clone, but in reality she is a tupper-ware hustler.
      To save face, or sometimes just for fun, each character is revealed as practicing at least one deceit, and in some parts of the play it is suggested that one or two white lies keeps every ego afloat. But such buoyancy is subject to the tides of fortune and some land on the rocks. It's a witty idea which became wittier as the play progressed.
      This sort of play and dialogue depends on timing and pacing, and if the characters are not masters of it then lead corrupts the gold. If the pace is too slow, there is no room for 'significant pauses'. Too often these just sound as though the actor has forgotten his or her lines. Diction is also vital: no point in cracking jokes if the upper balcony can't hear them. The first act was like a giant bird that occasionally appeared to be getting off the ground but never quite managed it. It began well with the two young farmers (or sons who had inherited their father's farm) played by Jack Ryder and David Brown. Their lines crackled and their interaction sparked. Jack Ryder, in particular, showed himself a natural comic actor with a flair for timing and diction. Things slowed considerably with the entry of the 'arrivistes' Lol and Esther played by Christopher Timothy and Sara Crowe. Sara Crowe could be very funny, especially as the worldly wise wounded. But Christopher Timothy was altogether too heavy handed in his portrayal of Lol. Perhaps he didn't even sound “Essex” enough - too posh already. Jack Ryder's relationship with the arriviste daughter, Bridget (played excellently by Helen Noble) was extremely effective.
      Things improved greatly in the second act in which pace, diction and the play took a turn for the better. And this was maintained to the end.
      The Safari Party is on tour and is well worth catching, especially as the experienced cast tidy up the first act and set the ball rolling for a very enjoyable evening out. 
Roderick Swanston