Home, I'm Darling at The Alexandra, Birmingham - Review

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Tue 25 Apr 2023 - Sat 29 Apr 2023

The poster and publicity for Home, I’m Darling made me think I was in for an evening of frothy Back to the Future-style fun. And I wasn’t disappointed, with lots of witty one-liners, a terrific ‘50s soundtrack and even some jive dancing – but the Laura Wade -penned production offers so much more.



Playing at Birmingham’s Alexandra until April 29, 2023, the winner of the Olivier Award for best new comedy is a lot darker than I expected, especially in the second act. The premise is that married couple, Judy and Johnny, have pledged to live as much as possible in the style of the 1950s, even though it’s the 21st century. They dress in the style of the period and have designed their home to match (great set and costume design by Anna Fleischle). Their television has been modified only to play DVDs (they choose to view black and white movies), while rock and roll standards blast from the record player.

The crux of the story, though, is that Judy has taken redundancy from her high-salaried finance job so she can be a full-time housewife, looking after the home and catering for Johnny’s every need. Johnny, however, continues to go out to work (he's an estate agent), albeit in a period car and wearing 1950s clothes. They have a laptop to access their bank account and eBay in order to buy vintage gear but Johnny locks away his work's mobile phone when he's at home. How long can this seemingly idyllic lifestyle continue?



Jessica Ransom , best known as Morwenna in TV’s Doc Martin, is superb as Judy, clinging onto her lifelong dream of living in the 1950s. She shares her passion for the decade with her friend Fran (played by Cassie Bradley) and much of the humour comes from Fran wanting to make a similar commitment as Judy, but being warned against it by Judy’s mum Sylvia ( Diane Keen ). When Sylvia discovers that Judy has lent Fran a book on how to run a home, she accuses Judy of “recruiting” Fran. “It’s not a cult,” counters Judy.

Johnny ( Neil McDermott ) begins to waver when a new female boss, Alex (Shanez Pattni), is appointed at his work, and he applies for a promotion. Judy scolds him for going to a pizza restaurant with Alex (“They didn’t eat pizza in the ‘50s’’, she says, to which Johnny replies “They did in Italy.”)



So far, so sitcom. It’s when the couple receives a bombshell letter from their bank that things really begin to change and the play prompts a multitude of questions, which are all great conversation starters. Is this lifestyle really an expression of feminism, as Judy believes? How can it exist side by side with the real world of rising prices, consumerism and new technology? And what was so great about the 1950s anyway? asks Sylvia in a powerful speech by Diane Keen.



When Fran’s husband, Marcus (Steve Blacker-Barrowman) is suspended from his job for inappropriate behaviour it brings the play right up to date. Marcus’ attempt to justify his actions made for uncomfortable viewing and elicited some interesting reactions from The Alexandra audience.

An entertaining and thought-provoking production, and totally recommended. Can you dig it (as they said in the 1950s)? Tickets at https://www.atgtickets.com/venues/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham/


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