Table Manners at Garage Theatre

A family fracas around the dinner table makes for comedy fodder in the Garage Theatre Groups production of Table Manners beginning on October 27. Alan Ayckbourn’s classic tale of family manners and mayhem launches the Garage Theatre’s 18^th season.  The production will run Thursdays through Sundays at the Becton Theatre on the Campus of Fairleigh Dickinson University, 960 River Road in Teaneck.

      Full of wordplay, split-second timing and physical comedy, Table Manners has the flavor of a classic English farce, but the play is more than that, insists Michael Bias, artistic director of the Garage Theatre.  Bias, who is directing the production says, “although the play has a great deal of humor, Ayckbourn’s knowledge of human nature is profound—the character’s fears and foibles are easily recognizable.”

     Table Manners is one third of Ayckbourn’s award winning play cycle The Norman Conquests.  A theatrical tour-de-force, the plays of The Norman Conquests all feature the same six characters during the same weekend.  The plays actually take place simultaneously in different rooms in the same house. It is through Ayckbourn’s incredible talent as a playwright that all three plays can be seen together or separately, and each still provide a hysterically funny theatrical experience.

      As part of its continuing commitment to making theatre available to all, Garage is offering several special opportunities to see Table Manners:

•  The Sunday, October 30 performance is “Pay What You Can Day” for any tickets available at the door.

• On Thursday, November 10, Garage will present a special matinee at 1:30 pm; all tickets to that performance will cost $20.

• Thursday nights are Bergen County Nights. Tickets are half price to residents of Bergen County.

• Student Rush is available for all performances. At curtain time, any unsold tickets will be made available for $15 to anyone with a valid student ID.

     Table Manners will be performed Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 3 pm.  Tickets are $37 ($32 for students and seniors). Tickets are available by phone at (201) 569-7710 and online at www.garagetheatre.org