Home, I'm Darling more of a thriller than a farce
“Nostalgia isn't what it used to be” declared French actress Simone Signoret in the translated title of her 1978 autobiography.
The expression can be found wedged into the programme notes of Gaslight Theatre's production of Home, I'm Darling, Laura Wade's 2018 play, whose Cambridge run is April 6-20.
It's tempting to suggest that the less grammatically correct "nostalgic ain't what it used to be...and it never was", hailing from the pages of Punch early in the 20th century, might better describe a work of sophistication that impresses both in the writing and in the playing.
In lesser hands the premise might be little more than a mildly comic conceit: a 21st century woman, raised in a stridently feminist environment, elects to forsake career and rat race and instead embrace what she believes to be the simplicities of the 1950s, becoming almost a caricature of a traditional housewife. She expects her husband, a real estate agent, to assume the role of breadwinner and does her best to ensure his every domestic need is catered for.
If this synopsis reads like a farce you might need to adjust your expectations.
Whilst there are some big laughs here and there, for much of the time I found the tone closer to that of a thriller. As the protagonist, Judy, Charlie Ellis is magnificently brittle, negotiating challenges to her character's lifestyle choices that come from a disappointed mother, a mostly supportive best friend, her husband's driven new boss and ultimately spouse Johnny himself. In Ellis' extremely well judged and multifaceted interpretation Judy is no one-note Stepford Wife.
The pregnant pauses, the loaded hesitations, the forced smiles and increasingly extreme rationalisations ensure the audience is kept on a knifeedge. Surely something has to give? on a pedestal.
Wade's critique of patriarchal power structures ensures that her male figures are as imprisoned by expectation as her female ones, something Wooldridge grasps entirely.
Dallas Dams, playing Judy's often exasperated mother Sylvia, is truly impressive, displaying a facet of her talent hitherto unseen.
Sylvia's powerful monologue, a critique of much more than her daughter's fantasy world, an attempt to impart a sense of the harder realities of the past, comes close to being show stopping yet never becomes a ranting cliche. It's a tribute to both Dams' abilities and the careful direction of Steve Grounds.
Kudos, too, to Alexa Macdonald's Alex and Kat D'arcy-young's Fran, as, respectively, Johnny's new superior and Judy's confidante.
For what is essentially a peripheral figure, Alex serves many functions in the drama both actual and imagined and Macdonald rises to each of them, never succumbing to stereotype. D'arcyYoung has an extremely positive stage vibe, ensuring that even when defending a seemingly indefensible husband - an affront to feminist sensibilities - Fran remains highly sympathetic and recognisably human.
Nate Bedwell, playing said spouse, the alpha-male Marcus, will no doubt ruffle the feathers of the sensitive. The actor is well cast, with presence and charisma to spare and cuts a credible rug with Ellis. If the material has no out and out villain, Marcus comes close. He's the face of unbent male power, looking to exploit every opportunity to the edge of acceptability and likely beyond.
The production has a pleasingly even pace and the integration of one non-linear scene is accomplished with Tarantinoesque aplomb, establishing the back story with powerful economy. The 1950s themed set and eye-watering apparel easily justify superlatives, though
I fear I have a conflict of interest with regard to the former, having indirectly supplied a portion of the props and am manifestly incapable when it comes to the latter.
It would be possible to quibble about the creased nature of one or two of Johnny's shirts, an oversight in a play which suggests his wife spends a good portion of her working week at the ironing board.
I also would have preferred less time between scenes, though the use of period music to cover these gaps was certainly appreciated by the preview night audience and will equally please any with an ear for 1950s standards.
Wade's play cleverly engages with issues of power and gender and the very human capacity to idealise a past that only ever existed in the flawed imaginings of a frustrated few. The Gaslight Theatre production renders the playwright's words with clarity and impact, educating and entertaining in equal measure.