Men, Meals & Me: History
Father of Invention is a full-length play written by Alan Ayckbourn during 2018 itended for production at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough during the 2019 summer season. It was not produced, replaced by Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present, until it was eventually performed as an exclusive rehearsed reading at the Stephen Joseph Theatre on 28 September 2025.Extract from Unseen Ayckbourn (2023, Lulu Books)
Men, Meals & Me is an as yet unproduced play written by Alan Ayckbourn during 2018 and originally intended for production in 2019. Due to casting requirements and budgets, the piece was replaced by another new play Birthdays Past, Birthdays Present at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, although the playwright hopes it will be produced at some point in the future.
Men, Meals & Me features a similar device to his musical revue Me, Myself and I with the lead character - Jenny Portal-Walker - played by three people, representing different aspects of her personality. It is set at various eating establishments with a composite set of four tables representing different places, allowing action to cut seamlessly between highlighted areas, and charts Jenny’s relationship with the various men in her life - husband, father and son.
Jenny is represented by Jenny, her normal self; Jennifer, her youthful naive side and Jen, her darker, cynical side. Whilst each scene features an ‘active’ personality, the others frequently comment and interrupt the conversation highlighting their own perspectives and priorities as the author makes clear in his introduction to the play. It’s intended that the main character be played by three different actors. Although they’re each aspects of the same person and should appear to be of similar age, how closely they physically resemble each other is entirely a production choice. Always providing, of course, that it’s perfectly clear to an audience that they are one and the same person, it makes no difference. Although many of the twelve scenes are led by a single ‘active’ aspect of our heroine, there are occasions when a ‘switch’ between the three occurs, depending on her current mood. These ‘switches' ideally should happen seamlessly since none of the men notices when such changes occur, even though we do!
Described as ‘a play of sexual perplexity’ , Men, Meals & Me begins on Jenny and her husband Nick’s anniversary and each scene is set at a meal. Jenny suspects her husband of having an affair but is also concerned about her son, who is opening up about his gender fluidity for the first time - much to the anger of his father. Meanwhile her widowed father begins a relationship with his carer whilst a mysterious stranger appears to be stalking Jenny.
Simon Murgatroyd, 2023
Article and extract by Simon Murgatroyd. Copyright: Haydonning Ltd. Please do not reproduce without permission of the copyright holder.
Men, Meals & Me features a similar device to his musical revue Me, Myself and I with the lead character - Jenny Portal-Walker - played by three people, representing different aspects of her personality. It is set at various eating establishments with a composite set of four tables representing different places, allowing action to cut seamlessly between highlighted areas, and charts Jenny’s relationship with the various men in her life - husband, father and son.
Jenny is represented by Jenny, her normal self; Jennifer, her youthful naive side and Jen, her darker, cynical side. Whilst each scene features an ‘active’ personality, the others frequently comment and interrupt the conversation highlighting their own perspectives and priorities as the author makes clear in his introduction to the play. It’s intended that the main character be played by three different actors. Although they’re each aspects of the same person and should appear to be of similar age, how closely they physically resemble each other is entirely a production choice. Always providing, of course, that it’s perfectly clear to an audience that they are one and the same person, it makes no difference. Although many of the twelve scenes are led by a single ‘active’ aspect of our heroine, there are occasions when a ‘switch’ between the three occurs, depending on her current mood. These ‘switches' ideally should happen seamlessly since none of the men notices when such changes occur, even though we do!
Described as ‘a play of sexual perplexity’ , Men, Meals & Me begins on Jenny and her husband Nick’s anniversary and each scene is set at a meal. Jenny suspects her husband of having an affair but is also concerned about her son, who is opening up about his gender fluidity for the first time - much to the anger of his father. Meanwhile her widowed father begins a relationship with his carer whilst a mysterious stranger appears to be stalking Jenny.
Simon Murgatroyd, 2023
Article and extract by Simon Murgatroyd. Copyright: Haydonning Ltd. Please do not reproduce without permission of the copyright holder.