Synopsis

Rob has packed and is ready to go. He and Jen have been married for 20 years but Rob believes he has fallen in love with Suzy, a young woman he met at his evening class. Jen is almost certain it’s a temporary infatuation, but she warns Rob that, if he leaves, he’s left for good and there’s no coming back.

Their parting is painful but reasonably civilised. The problem is Titus, the cat they both adore, who – most unusually – seems to have gone walkabout. It looks as if Rob won’t be able to say goodbye to Titus but luckily their mutual friend, Ian, brings the cat home just in time and, for the present, all seems well.

When one door closes, another door opens. That, at least, is what Ian believes. But the fact is this isn’t always true. What follows Rob’s departure is complicated – very complicated – and something of a compromise.

Ian’s uneasy dealings with Titus doesn’t bode well, and neither does Rob’s less than satisfactory relationship with Suzy. A dramatic crisis duly follows. It becomes evident that everything depends on Titus. In the end, things more or less resolve themselves. Although exactly what’s resolved may still be in doubt.

The play has three scenes, the first and the third in the living-room of Jen’s flat and the second in a pub, the King of Bohemia. The sets are simple and the properties are mostly very straightforward.

There’s quiet comedy and tenderness throughout the play. The three clearly-differentiated characters are each sympathetic in their own way. The relationships between them are subtle and complex and give plenty of scope for the cast and director to interpret and explore.

Duration

Characters