Overview

Claire has separated from her husband Steve and is now living with her boyfriend, Derek. Her daughter, Libby, tells Steve that Claire is short of money and is advertising for a lodger, so while Claire is absent, Steve is given the room by the unspecting Derek. Steve's idea is to stay in the house for a month so the Claire can judge both men on their merits; old animosities quickly rear their heads, however, and the play ends with Claire and Libby leaving the house, which Steve and Derek decide to share as bachelors. Witty, fast-moving and acutely observed, The Upstairs Cuckoo is a riotous farce with a very human heart.