A furniture empire built on lies, bribes, and your entire extended family—what could go wrong?
Alan Ayckbourn's riotous exposure of entrepreneurial greed returns to the National Theatre, where it premiered in 1987, winning the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Play.
Acting
Nigel Lindsay's spiral from innocent to complicit is masterful
Direction
Penford's staging keeps Ayckbourn's intricate chaos crystal clear
Production
That revolving set—every door hides another family secret
Director
Tim Van Someren
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Written during Thatcher's Britain, the play's entrepreneurial enthusiasm curdling into corruption feels eerily prescient for any late-capitalist moment.
Ayckbourn originally wrote Jack as a more straightforward hero—subsequent productions, including this one, lean harder into his willing complicity.
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