ALAN Ayckbourn’s 81st play, A Brief History of Women, opened in 2017. Now it makes its first Somerset appearance in a production at Yeovil’s Swan Theatre, from 11th to 16th September.

Directed by Liz Stallard, it is a comedy in four parts about an unremarkable man and the remarkable women who loved him. From his first encounters as a young man in 1925 to an unexpected reunion late in life, Anthony Spates’ romantic progress is charted against the backdrop of an equally remarkable old manor house in this funny and gently touching comedy.

Part 1 is set in 1925 at Kirkbridge Manor where Lady Kirkbridge is hosting an engagement party for daughter Cynthia and her fiancé Captain Fergus Ffluke. In Part 2, it is 1945 and the building has become a preparatory school where we see the teaching staff during preparations for bonfire night and a fireworks display. Part 3 brings us to the Kirkbridge Arts Centre in 1965 as the Pendon Players rehearsal for their annual pantomime. Finally, in 1985, the house has become a hotel and a new set of guests are arriving.

Performances are nightly at 7.45.