Act I

The structure of A Chorus of Disapproval exemplifies Ayckbourn's modernity: the first scene, for instance, is chronologically the last. The play begins with the tail-end of PALOS's performance of The Beggar's Opera. From there, the play unfolds like a cinematic flashback. The flashback structure maintains tension throughout the light-hearted ensemble piece: the audience, certain in the knowledge that the opera will be performed successfully, nonetheless fears that calamity will unfold, for after the curtain falls, Guy is abandoned by his fellow cast members.

In the second scene of Act I, Guy auditions by giving a fumbling rendition of the only song he knows, "All Through the Night." He is shown up by the director, Dafydd, who interrupts him to sing the song in Welsh. Although Guy's singing is obviously not up to standard, Dafydd immediately accepts him, partly because he is short one actor and partly...