Review - Home, I'm Darling - People's Theatre

Home, I'm Darling 

People's Theatre

30th Sept, 2025

Written by Laura Wade

Directed by Eileen Davidson

Laura Wade's play follows the lives of Judy and Johnny who have taken the rather bizarre decision to live a 1950s lifestyle, not just in the decoration of their home and their fashion choices, but every aspect - Judy aspires to be a genuine 1950s wife, maintaining a pristine home and waiting on her husband, pandering to his every need. Johnny meanwhile gets to go out to work every day and earn a living to keep them in this  - as it turns out - extravagant lifestyle. 

As the play progresses we start to see that what began as a 6 month experiment has become something of an obsession and what should have been an ideal lifestyle is infact rather unhealthy and claustrophobic. It is billed as a dark comedy, but I must confess I found the whole premise to be a little sinister and uncomfortable - watching a modern women willingly give up on the hard won rights to not be tied to the kitchen, fawning over a man and putting his comfort before her own was a step too far for me, and my sympathies were entirely with Judy's mum, Sylvia. 

Jo McEvedy's portrayal of righteous exasperation and fury is a joy to see and she is the character I mostliked in this play, alongside Fran, whose forthright honesty also appealed. It was difficult to find any empathy for the two main characters, despite accomplished performances by Kay Edmundson and Sam Burrell. 

The real stars of the show for me were the set, which is magnificent, the costumes, which are fabulous, and the music which punctuates each scene and adds a lightness to the production. These absolutely make the show. 

Home I'm Darling, as it's title might suggest, turns things on their heads and looks at marriage values and equality from a strange angle. Maybe it works for some - it is an award winning script - but it didn't quite work for me - and judging from a couple of overheard comments as I was leaving, it left one or two others a little bemused too. Thought provoking, certainly, but not laughter inducing this time. 

Playing until 4th October, it's a bold choice for the first mainstage production of the new season and the team at the People's have never shied away from bold choices.  

Denise Sparrowhawk