Home, I’m Darling At The Lyceum Theatre Sheffield Review

Reviewed by Louise Edwards

Home I’m Darling, winner of the 2019 Olivier Award for Best Comedy and from the pen of playwright Laura Wade. After a run at the National Theatre and London’s West End it is currently on a nationwide tour.

The stage is set to show a colourful 1950s living room and kitchen – very twee and with Stepford Wives vibes. Enter Judy (Jessica Ranson), self-confessed housewife, dressed in the Dior cut dress, heels, and gingham pinafore who gets on with preparing breakfast at the table – egg and soldiers with a cup of tea – for husband Johnny (Neil McDernott) who is similarly dressed in 1950s spats, suit, and hat. They chat happily about their lives and how ridiculously content they are before he heads out the door for work as an estate agent. Judy waves him off before returning to the kitchen to clear up and get out her laptop!

This couple has made the 1950s their lifestyle and no expense has been spared despite the fridge always going on the blink and their Austin car giving them trouble. Johnny’s work mobile phone goes straight in the drawer when he comes home and Judy prepares all their 1950’s appropriate meals from scratch, decanting bags of flour and sugar into storage jars and pouring milk from plastic cartons into glass bottles when she gets home. Her day is structured around a battered copy of a 1950s cleaning routine which she follows to the letter.

Their friends, Marcus and Fran similarly love the 1950s dancing and dress but they live a more contemporary lifestyle full of microwave meals, long-haul travel, and busy work lives. Fran is captivated by their “Mad Men” styled home and the cleaning routine that Judy follows though admits it is not for her.

As the play unfolds we meet Judy’s mum Sylvia (Diane Keen) who questions her daughter’s lifestyle and Alex (Shanez Pattni) who plays Alex, Johnny’s boss. The six strong cast put on a fantastic show that weaves through time exploring their motivations and dilemmas.

Sylvia questions Judy’s choice of lifestyle (“Your grandmother lived through the 1950s and would be laughing at you now!”). The audience learn of Judy’s fairly unconventional upbringing and her life before she chose to stay at home and you wonder what it is she is hiding from or rebelling against.

The production team, led by Director Tamara Harvey and a very cleverly constructed and adaptable set by Anna Fleischle (who also manages the amazing costumes) are all perfectly timed and exquisitely executed. Credit too to Charlotte Broom for impeccable choreography as the characters move props and around each other with perfect dance steps!

As the realities of modern-day life start to intersect with their 1950s utopia it becomes clear the couple may have to redress the balance. This is a fantastic thought-provoking play that questions gender inequalities, and racial bias and even touches on the “Me Too” movement to leave audiences with lots of food for thought. We loved this show and think you will too so for a touch of nostalgia and a dose of debate grab your tickets today!

The Lyceum Theatre in Sheffield is in the heart of the city close to lots of transport links, restaurants and bars.

Rating: 4/5

Tickets cost from £15 plus transaction fee. Home, I’m Darling is at Lyceum Theatre, Sheffield to Saturday 22 April 2023 for more information or to book tickets visit https://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/events/home-im-darling or call the box office on 0114 249 6000

55 Norfolk Street Sheffield S1 1DA