Setting
The stage is split into three sections, each a room of the Rodales' house: Mal and Jill's bedroom, the kitchen, and the living room. Like the setting used in Bedroom Farce and Private Fears in Public Places, scene changes are controlled by switching the lighting from one area of the stage to the other. However, in a setting unique to this play, the whole stage is also used to represent the showroom floor at Mal's place of work.
The original production at the Stephen Joseph Theatre was staged in the round, but the productions on the tour were staged in the Proscenium.
The play takes place over two consecutive days, one day for each act. The tones of the two acts are very different: the first act is amongst the darkest drama found in Ayckbourn plays, whilst the second act is almost farcical with a happy ending.
Read more about this topic: If I Were You (play)
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