Home, I'm Darling

Bolton Little Theatre opens its season with Laura Wade’s play Home, I’m Darling. A relative new play which was first performed jointly with The National Theatre and Theatr Clwyd in 2018, winning best comedy at the Laurence Oliver Awards in 2019. Known for her work in verbatim theatre, she takes a break to produce Home, I’m Darling which starts off in the 1950s, reeling you in and soon has you questioning what is going on (more of that later).

Entering the auditorium, the audience is met with a two-level set giving us sitting room, kitchen stairs and up a level the bedroom and in the bedroom was Michael Bowers playing Johnny, getting dressed.

The kitchen in blue and yellow and on the back wall was full set of units with cupboards, intentionally unreliable (!) fridge and cooker. The kitchen set stage left had a table and chairs. The flooring of blue and beige square tiles.  Well thought out paraphernalia adorned the unit tops and walls. Suggested separating wall and window stage left. The sitting room was decorated tastefully with matching settee of the period in a sort of azure blue on a rug that was on a wood floor. Metal paper basket and record player complete with hostess trolly with drinks all added to the period. A door stage right and window with curtains looking out onto greenery. The staircase with white spindles went up from the sitting room on the next level, stage right a door into the bathroom and left was the bedroom with imposing dark wood wardrobe and bed. All looking like a house you would find in that era’s Woman & Home.

Design Peter Scofield and set construction Jeff Lunt, Jolyon Coombs. Andrew Gradwell, Steve Butler, Liz Pickles, June Mulraney and Simon Mott. Props Viv Bloomfield, Dorothy Green and Kath Cheetham and Stage Manager Alison Whittaker. Attention to detail was evident and set up the beginning so well of the perfect house. I love the fact that coming in for the second act looking at the set you noticed more things. Sound was unobtrusive as it should be with the added sound effects of phone rings and toilet flushing. And appropriate songs that fitted in well including the opening A Woman’s Touch by Doris Day. Sound by Gareth Preston and Stuart O’Hara. I did feel the lighting could have added more warmth to the set at times. Lighting by Ahley Foster.  Wardrobe by Janet Hardman was all in keeping and the dresses that Abbie Jones wore as Judy were stunning.

Peter Scofield steps up to the role of director with assistant Laraine Scofield. Brave choice taking on a play that challenges the 21st century woman at every turn. This satirical, sometimes sad comedy we are led to believe as watching a play set in the 1950’s with the props, costume and mannerisms in evidence. Everything is going along swimmingly until the husband leaves and a laptop is pulled out! . . cut to audience reaction, double take, wait! . . . what? We are then challenged as an audience by a woman who wants to be a domestic goddess and choses to wait on her husband hand and foot and live in the 1950’s with fridge that works when it wants. I then think what would Germaine Geer or Florence Given to name a few feminist writers think of this situation. Peter Scofield directs with sensitivity and I personally think the ending was a slight cop out by the writer but on further reflection, was it? Maybe it opens up a debate as to why would this young woman choose this life. It’s certainly thought provoking and yes, it could be a backlash against her mother’s years of living in a commune and it not being very clean!!  Whatever the reason, I am sure it opened up conversation about, quoting the director, ‘a woman’s place.’

Michael Bowers takes on the role of Johnny - he goes along with his wife’s wishes and it starts to affect his job and we witness his demise slowly throughout the play. He even starts to have misplaced feelings towards his new boss Alex played by Rebecca Carney. I did wonder what side her character would be on - male or female - but I like to think she is a woman’s woman and helps Johnny on his way, also removing him from her presence. The scene in the kitchen when she’s giving a valuation feels like the moment the two women understand one another and was well done.

Judy’s friend Fran played by Sue Mallett whose skill in the kitchen is to prick with a fork twice and microwave certainly gave us the comedy and the fact she couldn’t understand why Judy’s dwelling in the 1950’s finds it appealing while she finds it appalling but was secretly hoping before her husband’s shady goings-on she could perhaps give up work. Adam Green plays Fran’s husband Marcus - his character having more than one side: happy to be Judy’s dancing partner in front of the couples but when they’re alone a #MeToo moment arises and it’s decidedly uncomfortable to watch (as it should be).

June Grice takes on the role of Judy’s mother Sylvia, wondering what on earth her daughter is playing at - I loved the bit about the grey 1950’s ‘grey meat and grey people.’  June earned herself a round of applause with her speech about her life as a mother, as a child and what she had hidden from Judy about her father. Sylvia - a true feminist - is at a loss to understand when women have fought for so much: why would her daughter put herself through this. Great characterisation!

The glue holding this together was Judy played by Abbie Jones who embodied the women of the 50s - don’t go on a rant on Facebook or post any angry memes – no, Judy gets the cutlery out and polishes it vigorously!! With the life she thinks she want to live all polished and picket fence, she actually doesn’t know who she is anymore. Laura Wade makes you question why would a woman want to go back to that time, after all she appeared so happy until the cracks started and everyone started having an opinion. Abbie’s journey through the play was measured and well timed and how she had to keep it together when everyone disagrees with her - well done!

This play certainly threw up a lot of questions up for me and making the audience work is a good thing

A shout out to the BSL Translator Cheryl walker who put so much energy into doing every member of the cast’s lines.

Thank you to BLT for the invite and hospitality for my husband Matthew and I.

 

Liz Hume-Dawson, D5 Rep.

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