IF I see the curtains part to reveal an impressive set, I usually breathe a sigh of relief in the knowledge that equal care will have been lavished on the performances – and so it proved in this extremely enjoyable production.

The garden of a suburban house looks so convincing in this comedy about the traumas and misunderstandings that take place around someone’s 40th birthday celebrations that I could well have believed it was genuine, and congratulations, too, to the lighting team for some pretty realistic night-time scenes.

Steve Watton’s direction ensures that the characters are played for real - so much so that when one of them sees his dreams dissolve before his eyes there was a palpable feeling of sympathy from the first-night audience. Annie Robertson and Steve James are just right as Claire and Alan, in whose garden the neighbours seem to air their problems on a very regular basis, and there are lovely, detailed characterisations, too, from B J Miller (Sarah) and Jeremy Smith (Derek). Carole Willison is outstanding as Jill, partner of the obnoxious Dave (a slightly over-strident Pete Griffiths who deserves gold stars for having to empty a bucket of compost over his head!)