Marc Elliott relishes his debut Ayckbourn in Chichester

“It is a brilliant play and Ayckbourn is just the master of comedy but it is also really poignant as well. He is the absolute master of bittersweet. I didn't know this play before, and I'm ashamed to say that I’d only really heard of a handful of his plays. I should really go back and do more! But when I read this, I just thought it was really exciting.”

Marc’s way into it was through Anna Mackmin, the director: “I was blown away by her and she is absolutely brilliant. She's really enthusiastic and is really spot on in her direction. She is concise and everything she says makes sense and I really loved her vibe when I got into the rehearsal room.

"And what is so great about Ayckbourn is that he is so very truthful. It is something that an audience, irrespective of class or gender or age, will find very accessible.

"The play centres on Susan who is a middle-aged woman and we've all got mothers and sisters so she is instantly relatable but the play itself is also quite progressive. It was written in the 80s and it is about this middle-aged woman who doesn't leave the stage and who is undergoing a real evaluation of her life. She's reached a crossroads and she is really examining where she is. The whole thing is from her perspective which becomes more apparent and it also becomes more apparent as the play goes on that her perspective might be slightly warped as well. It is her truth but not necessarily the reality of the situation.”

Which makes it a difficult play to talk about without giving too much away – though Marc can safely say that he is one of her husbands: “I am very well to do but it's really hard to say more. But to all intents and purposes when you first meet him he's the perfect husband from the way that he reacts to the major incident which is the starting point for Susan. We don't know what is true and what is not. Whatever happened to Susan’s character or has not happened, my character comes on and looks after her and cares for her but maybe that changes as the play progresses.”

It's all part of life post-pandemic: “I've been lucky enough to do a couple of gigs since we came back from the lockdowns. I was doing a big gig when everything closed.

"We had opened City of Angels in the West End which is a big old musical which I had done years before. We did four or five previews but we didn't get to open to the press. You never say never about it coming back but I don't know that I can still play that part any more,” Marc laughs. “I've aged in Covid days! It has taken its toll on me!

“But it's been great to come back and I've done a few gigs since coming back as well, but I do think theatre has changed. Some people are still reluctant to get back to see shows.

“But I do think I am much more grateful to be able to do this because theatre is really really important. The pandemic meant we realised just how important theatre is but there are still audiences that we have to get back.

"I think the theatre needs supporting and buoying up more than ever, and I just hope that a lot of people come to see this show in Chichester.”