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	The Master Mariner Theatre 21, 28-29 May, 7:00pm-8:00pm; 9-11, 17-18, 24-25 May, 8:00pm-9:00pm
Suitable for age 18+ only.  Warning: Contains strong language.  World Premiere.

Arguably, Nobel laureate Dario Fo is under-appreciated here in the UK; he’s a prolific, often political, playwright, and his fast-paced satirical style seems particularly suited to the Fringe.  In The Open Couple, which Fo penned together with his wife Franca Rame, a middle-aged man encourages his partner to discover a new side of life… by enjoying a few extra-marital affairs.  What could possibly go wrong?

To some, it’s a commentary on sexism and liberation; to others, it’s just the story of a couple who care for each other more than they care about the rules.  Whatever your view, Fo and Rame together wrote a witty and fiery script, which challenges convention head-on.  And flushed from her success with last year’s Importance of Being Earnest, director Nicola Haydn has risen to the challenge with an equally unconventional venue.

This time, it’s Brighton Marina: expect to be caught in the crossfire of passionate discord, as you eavesdrop on the protagonists in a waterside bar.  It’s a surprising choice of spot, maybe, but an exotic style of marriage deserves an exotic location.  And the paradox of the Marina – where wealthy boat owners bob up and down within a stone’s throw of a drive-through McDonald’s – makes an interesting muse to work with.  We think it’s worth the sortie along the Madeira Drive; at the terminus of the electric railway, this just might be an electrifying play.

In a change to the details in the printed Fringe programme, this performance will now take place in the Master Mariner pub and not at Brighton Yacht Club. The Master Mariner is still at Brighton Marina. Dates and times are unchanged.