'HOME, I'M DARLING' at THEATRE ROYAL, BURY
Rehearsal photo
The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there – but could we emigrate there without a visa? Judy Martin, the early middle-aged wife in Laura Wade’s 2018 play certainly thinks she can. She has willingly travelled back in time to live a suburban life as a 1950s housewife dressing in voluminous petticoated frocks and preparing her hubby’s slippers plus welcoming G&T as he comes home from work. The conceit behind this slightly dark comedy is that Judy wishes to re-define feminism as a Doris Day-era paradigm. This 21st century former finance manager has chosen an atavistic career: the housewife. She thrills to newly polished surfaces, fawns over her shining cutlery and swoons to the rock and roll music coming out of her mahogany radiogram. The first scene set against a wonderfully authentic 50s living room and kitchen – stripey wallpaper, retro furniture and flying geese on the wall. Judy and Johnny are ‘terribly happy’ and he, the breadwinning estate agent, finds paradise in a lightly boiled egg whose top has been pre-removed by his adoring happy wife. It surely is too good to last – and as this is drama, that is a reliable prediction.
Things start to go wrong as 21st century pressures begin to pile into this Buddy Holly world. Judy’s only friend and fellow fantasist Fran seems to be going off the 50s playacting and financial pressures mount as the realities of a one-income family take hold. Then there are rumours of Johnny’s possible unfaithfulness when out in the world and modern-day accusations of inappropriate behaviour to his PA by Fran’s husband. Attempts to knock Judy’s faith in 1950s certainties are also punctured by her fierce mum who actually lived through that era of anti-gay law, the trauma of returning Tommies turned paternal bullies, everyday racism and male dominated work. Her powerful Act II tirade against Judy’s seeming betrayal of feminism as defined by mum seemed to have no impact on her determination to believe that 1952 was superior to 2022. She is of course living a fantasy.
Wade’s play begins in happy British sitcom land but fails to get much beyond it. Incidents happen with little consequence and the all-pervading structure of light comedy rarely allows the serious nature of the argument to rise to the well-scrubbed surface of the Martin’s show home. Issues such as class divide, rebellion against 70s-style feminist agitation are alluded to but never deeply explored.
All that said, I had a really good time watching this oddball drama. The cast were universally excellent. Rosanna Miles was spot on as the determined but oft challenged Judy. Toby Manley was pitch perfect as her brittle husband trying to lead a patriarchal life in a cut-throat world of today. Ellie Burrow as Fran held the stage not only with her part (though I thought underwritten) but with her great jive steps used with Charles Hagerty (as Marcus her wayward hubbie) to punctuate scene changes. Hilary Harwood shone too as Judy’s progressive feminist mum and Kerry Bennett was suitably bewildered as Johnny’s boss who thinks she has stumbled into a Mad Men world.
The cast rightly play for laughs but the moments of crisis are handled extremely well. The production is fluid and energetic with some brilliantly relevant 50s numbers providing an authentic soundscape.
Although I have some issues with the writing and structure of the play, it is one definitely worth seeing. Go to Bury St Edmunds to see it but don’t be tempted to pay a permanent visit to the past – it is a country well and truly closed.
HOME, I’M DARLING, AT THE THEATRE ROYAL, BURY ST EDMUNDS UNTIL SAT 2 APRIL
THEATREROYAL.ORG
01284 769505
