For the first time, Sir Alan Ayckbourn has brought over his company of actors from the British-based Stephen Joseph Theatre (of which Ayckbourn is artistic director), and New Yorkers should feel blessed that the playwright-director has finally decided to share the wealth. The six-person ensemble of Private Fears in Public Places is absolute perfection, bringing warmth, humor, and sadness to Ayckbourn's exquisite dark comedy.

The play tells the story of six individuals in present-day London, their lives interconnected through circumstance. We first meet Nicola (Melanie Gutteridge), who is being shown a prospective apartment by realtor Stewart (Paul Kemp); she was supposed to be joined in her[...]