8 /10 1 Votes8
Original language English First performance 2 October 1981 | 4/5 The Telegraph Date premiered 2 October 1981 Subject Power struggles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Characters Keith; June; Alistair; Emma; Mrs. Hatfield; Vince; Fleur Similar Man of the Moment, Intimate Exchanges, Sisterly Feelings, It Could Be Any One Of Us, Henceforward | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Way upstream 1 of 8 at last
Way Upstream is a play by Alan Ayckbourn. It was first performed, under Ayckbourn's direction, in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, UK, "in the round" at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, on 2 October 1981. Although realistic in style, with a setting of a hired cabin cruiser on an English river, it can be read as an allegory of the political state of England at the time, with the violent resolution of the usurping captain's tyrannical regime taking place at "Armageddon Bridge", and crew members "Alistair" and "Emma" (representing an innocent "Adam" and "Eve") making a new start at the end.
Contents
- Way upstream 1 of 8 at last
- Original cast
- London opening
- Cast
- Critical reception
- Other productions
- BBC Cast
- References
Original cast
London opening
The London première was at the proscenium Lyttelton Theatre on 4 October 1982, with Ayckbourn again directing. It had been postponed since August; the production became notorious because of its many technical problems during rehearsal, most spectacularly the bursting of the water tank which flooded the National Theatre.
Cast
Critical reception
At the much-delayed première the excitement of the technical problems distorted the appreciation of some critics with Jack Tinker, representative of the populist Daily Mail, turning up wearing wellington boots. Most, however, found a work of "genuine merit".
Other productions
It is possible to stage the work without a flooded set and it remains popular with both professional companies and amateur societies. It was revived at the Stephen Joseph Theatre in October 2003. In 1987 the BBC adapted the play as a TV movie, but this has never been released on DVD.