Castle Hill Players latest production, HOME I’M DARLING, by Laura Wade and directed by Dave Went is a terrific show. It’s a great story line, a mix of comedy and drama & all the cast fit their roles perfectly. The detailed & accurate set place you firmly in the 50s and the costumes, particularly the beautiful array of dresses Judy wears, take you into the heart of the fantasy home.
Judy, played by Nicole Harwood, really steals the show as the bubbly, vivacious wife who has convinced her husband Johnny, played in a contrasting supportive, gentle way (at least at the start) by William Burke, to exchange her modern-day life for what she believes is the idyllic existence of the 50s.
Judy’s mother, Sylvia, played with great confidence by Emma Rose, who is a sort of hippie feminist is aghast at Judy’s decision wondering how one can feel nostalgia for an era one hasn’t lived in.
Thrown into the mix are Judy’s best friend Fran, portrayed by Kimberlea Smith who shows great confusion about how she should react to her friend’s lifestyle and what to do about the situation of her own deteriorating marriage. Her husband Marcus, played by Larry Murphy, is a wonderful mix of fun guy & sleaze.
One more character rounds out the cast – Alex, Johnny’s new female boss, played by Danielle Cutler with suitable power and pretentiousness yet with some humanity underneath.
At first the life seems perfect, Judy the happy little housewife preparing the home and providing comfort to her husband after his day at work. Cracks star to appear, however, as money become tight and not everything in the 50s is so wonderful such as a non working fridge….as one of many funny lines – a fridge that doesn’t work is just a cupboard. Sylvia also provides a solid reality check when she outlines the reality of post war Britain which wasn’t all frilly skirts & baking cakes.
As Judy and Johnny realize it’s not possible to live entirely in the 50’s – they have a laptop & Johnny has to deal with the outside world of modern work with all its stresses, tensions mount and secrets are laid bare. Their friends Fran and Marcus add more colour and twists to the plot as does the very corporate Alex.
Full marks to the set designer, Maureen Cartledge, along with costume design, Leone Sharp, which transforms our world to the 50s, highlighted by the lighting design of Mark Dawson and sound design, lyrics and music by George Cartledge.
HOME I’M DARLING plays the Pavilion Theatre Castle Hill Showground till 10th October. I would recommend booking soon before tickets vanish.
Production photography by Chris Lundie
