THERE were high expectations for Alan Ayckbourn's Bedroom Farce which booked into Milton Keynes Theatre this week.

It came with an excellent pedigree and rave reviews, directed by the acclaimed Sir Peter Hall and written by one of Britain's greatest living playwrights.

But the comedy, first performed 35 years ago, was showing its age. There were funny lines, which made the audience chuckle, but the humour, situations and characters were as dated as one character's maxi skirt and Afghan coat.

The flimsy set rattled and shook like a reject from Crossroads as four couples occupied three bedrooms during a night of pits and troughs in the marital relationships between them.

Hollywood and UK screen legend Juliet Mills (sister of Hayley and daughter of Sir John) played Delia who was married to Bruce Montague's Ernest (forever known as Ria's dashing beau Leonard in BBC's Butterflies).

They were a lovely old couple who started the evening celebrating their wedding anniversary, had a moment in bed eating pilchards on toast (don't ask) and finished it listening to the woes of their daughter-in-law Susannah whose marriage to Trevor was on the rocks.

In bed number two was, at times, Kate and Malcolm who were having a house-warming being attended by, among others, Susannah and Trevor, and friends Jan and Nick.

The fly in the ointment was that Jan was Trevor's old girlfriend and Nick was laid up in bed set number three with a bad back – leaving the prospect open for Trev to reacquaint himself with his old flame. Sadly he spent most of the show moping around and being pathetic. No wonder Susannah had had enough of him.

Juliet Mills' real-life husband, Max Caulfield, had a pretty easy ride throughout as Nick. He spent almost the entire performance in bed, making the usual selfish, pompous, self-pitying noises that only a sick male of the species can muster.

It was left to Trevor (Oliver Boot) and Mal (Ayden Callaghan) to do most of the physical comedy (with a few theatrical moans and groans from Nick) but they had to work hard for the laughs.

It was less farce and more situation comedy-light and sorely lacked the sparkle of some of Ayckbourn's other hits.

The only person to have a really good night was Montague who was on top form as a man still wildly in love with his beautiful wife after years of marriage. He worshipped and adored her, had the manners of a gentleman and left you in no doubt that he could probably still pull Wendy Craig should TV chiefs ever recall the wonderful Butterflies.

His Delia is a tiny, elegant woman with a tiny, reed-like voice that is really more suited to the screen rather than the cavernous interiors of regional theatres.

But I was disappointed with the over-all production. It seemed more suited to am-dram than the professional stage. It may have been a sizzling comedy of manners back in 1975 but it has little to offer audiences in 2010.

Bedroom Farce runs until Saturday.

For tickets call the box office 0844 871 7652 or go online www.ambassadortickets.com/miltonkeynes