Christmas as we all know is a time of joy when families and friends gather to stuff themselves silly, celebrate with the odd sweet sherry and wear that very special jumper.

In Alan Ayckbourn's dark comedy classic Absurd Person Singular, however, the celebrations take a distinctly sour turn for three couples climbing the social ladder.

And who better to stage a play about striving for the top than Pinnacle Productions, who will be performing Absurd Person Singular on November 9 and 10 at St Andrew's Methodist Church, Cowling.

The action centres around three couples, on three Christmas Eves in three different kitchens. Bill Mercer and Marlene Sharkey play a well-to-do couple with a distinctly superior air to their friends, and in one case, a penchant for the bottle.

Chris Dodd and Jo Starr play a lower middle class couple striving for acceptance, and caught in the middle are Andrew Lynch and Catherine Uren.

As their circumstances change, so too does their relationship with each other, resulting in scenes that combine farce and black humour with Ayckbourn's typically razor-sharp eye for social detail.

"All three couples are dysfunctional in their own ways, " says Jo Starr. "None are really aware of each other's feelings and act in their individual ways."

Bill Mercer adds: "We did Confusions by Ayckbourn a couple of years ago which went down really well, so we are hoping this will be equally successful."

Mick Widdup will be directing the proceedings. Tickets are now available from Cowling Post Office, The Bay Horse and Jackie's chip shop.