But just because it is easy, it doesn’t mean it is wise.

The character of Duncan in Friends Uninvited has good reason to ponder upon this when two old school friends arrive uninvited in his expensive city apartment.

His well-ordered life is thrown into chaos as they leave a trail of devastation in their wake and cause him to re-evaluate his life.

That sounds like serious stuff, but Steven Ayckbourn’s play is packed with witty one-liners and elements of high farce.

All three performers seem to relish the physicality of the play. Hugo Thurston as Roger does a great dance routine to Carole King with only a towel and electric toothbrush as props.

Beatrice Curnew fizzes with energy as Jill, the sickly schoolgirl who has reinvented herself thanks to her devotion to martial arts and the plastic surgeon’s knife.

Mark Beardsmore as Duncan plummets from yuppy Porsche buyer to broken man. The look on his face in the closing scenes perfectly captures the tragi-comic nature of the play.

Forget any preconceptions you may have about village hall theatre. The Robinson Institute, transformed into the Esk Valley Theatre, is everything that regional theatre should be: lively, entertaining and providing a platform for new writers.

Friends Uninvited transfers to Middlesbrough Theatre from September 4-8.