Mouth To Mouth

Kevin Elyot's new play is the kind of play you break down the door of the rehearsal room to do.

What I like about Mouth To Mouth is its wide appeal. It is accessible and profound - technically challenging because it's also a comedy. I mean, I've done a lot of Pinter, but there are people who just hate Pinter, almost like they resent it. But that isn't the case with Mouth To Mouth. It's available yet it takes you somewhere you're not expecting.

I'd love to tell you everything, but since it's a new play I'm reluctant to give too much away. Set in late summer in a garden in Balham, it focuses on a sort of family reunion. There are hidden tensions among this group, which makes the gathering a minefield. It's a bit different for me. I haven't done a play like this, with this level of comedy, for a long time. I've done cool, manipulative, in- control characters, which is great - but Laura is a very different flavour for me. She's really on the front foot, very active, not sitting back - she's vibrant and she's a lot on her mind!

It's directed by Ian Rickson, who is artistic director of the Royal Court. I'm sure he has enough on his plate running the theatre, so it's not a casual choice for him to direct this. And, like me, the rest of the cast jumped at the chance to be in Mouth To Mouth as soon as they read the script. It's really that good.