The Mill at Sonning

Box office

0118 969 8000

Sonning Eye, Reading, RG4 6TY.

Room Service Included, 19th January to 25th February
By Moya O'Shea. “Isn’t it a strange way to make a living, spending the night with other people’s wives?” asks Caroline, who was once happily married. But no longer. She and her husband have amicably agreed to part. But this is 1954. The only sure way to divorce is as follows. Rent a hotel room. Put one of the spouses in bed. Rent an actor to be a pretend lover. Make sure the couple are ‘discovered’ by a third person in a compromising position! And hey presto, it’s done! The unemployed actor hired to be the culprit in this instance is Fulwood Longton – aggressive, self-assured – and handsome. Caroline is a glittering, fashionable, upmarket lady. She and Fulwood have nothing in common. And loathe each other at first sight. However, as darkness falls and the moon casts its shimmering light upon the waves outside the Brighton hotel, Caroline and Fulwood soon discover they have more in common than first thought. As always the path of true love never runs straight. But is certainly filled with intrigue, drama and romance. And many laughs along the way!

How The Other Half Loves, 1st March to 28th April
Meet three married couples. The Fosters, Frank and Fiona. The Phillips, Bob and Teresa. And the Featherstones, William and Mary… Frank employs Bob and William. Fiona is having an affair with Bob. Teresa is suspicious of Bob, who covers up his own adultery by shoving the blame onto his colleague William. William suspects Mary is having an affair. Fiona, to ward off Frank’s questioning, tells him that she has been comforting Mary, who also suspects William is having an affair… Got that? But of course, William and Mary are the innocent parties tangled in Fiona and Bob’s web of deceit. So when the Fosters and the Phillips are to entertain the Featherstones on successive nights, you can only imagine what complications, revelations and big laughs will ensue… And what’s more, in a delicious twist, the action is carried out in the separate homes, simultaneously, on the same set, even to the extent of different dinner parties on the same table! Alan Ayckbourn is one of Britain’s most celebrated playwrights, and this is one of his most clever, funny, and entertaining plays.

A Piece Of Cake, 3rd May to 23rd June
Thirty something Penelope Hart feels something needs to change. She is stuck in a dull city job, lives in a studio flat, and has a boyfriend who cheats on her. So when Penelope is suddenly made redundant she seizes the chance to follow her life-long dream – opening a cake shop. Armed with her mother’s amazing cake recipes, Penelope buys a run-down commercial property. But, as she soon discovers, running a business is anything but a piece of cake. The plumbing doesn’t work properly, there are mice in the walls, and what’s more, Penelope hasn’t baked for a while! Help is at hand however in the form of Lizzie, a not too bright but good natured assistant, and Peter, an embittered but handsome handyman and divorcee. After a shaky start Penelope’s business soon starts to flourish, and surprisingly so do her feelings for Peter. But then to put the icing on the cake, Penelope’s sleazy ex-boyfriend arrives to tempt her back to the city and back in to his arms. A Piece Of Cake is a charming new play by Lucy Bennett. A story of family, relationships, love … and cakes.

Cash On Delivery, 28th June to 18th August
By Michael Cooney. Eric Swan has been defrauding the DSS for the last two years by claiming benefit for an army of fictitious lodgers. He has an able accomplice in Uncle George who also does a nice line in black market NHS ladies underwear. Lovely Linda, Eric’s wife, and his real life lodger Norman Bassett, are oblivious to all of this wheeler dealing. When Eric finds that it is all getting too complicated he tries to extricate himself by killing off his make-believe tenants. But this brings about a slew of unwanted visitors – Mr. Jenkins, the DSS inspector; a bereavement counsellor; a psychiatrist; a corpse and an undertaker. There are lies, lies and more lies and Norman is soon sucked into Eric’s web of deceit … Chaos ensues! People getting knocked out, men without trousers, mistaken identities, cross dressing!

For more details

see the Mill's web site at www.millatsonning.com.