Home, I’m Darling Review At The Octagon Theatre Bolton Review

Reviewed by Cath Joyce

Living in the North West we are fortunate to have so many excellent theatres on our doorstep. One of our favourites is the newly refurbished Octagon Theatre at Bolton and last night we went to see Home, I’m Darling, a comedy written by Laura Wade and directed by Liz Stevenson. When it premiered in 2018 it was a sell-out smash hit and we were both looking forward to seeing the play. We received our tickets by email which is not only covid safe but it made checking in at the theatre quick and easy.

It was nice to see the theatre alive again and the helpful staff quickly showed us to our seats. We had a fantastic view of the stage as the design of the theatre means the audience look down onto the central stage and unlike some theatres there isn’t actually a bad seat in the house.

Once we had settled into our seats we were instantly drawn to the set, the octagonal stage had been transformed into a 1950’s kitchen and living room. It instantly brought back memories of my grandparent’s house and we could hear other members of the audience reminiscing too. The attention to detail was fantastic, from the original 50’s TV and fridge to the lino in the kitchen and parquet floors in the living room and of course the drinks trolley which would have been the height of sophistication back in the day.

The comedy is about Judy (Sandy Foster) and Johnny (Tom Kanji) who one the surface are the perfect couple, tired of the pressure of a hectic lifestyle and a stressful job Judy decides to accept a redundancy package and the couple take the opportunity to change their lives embracing the 50’s lifestyle that they both love. With Judy becoming a stay-at-home wife who does all the cooking and cleaning and Johnny becoming the breadwinner they initially appear blissfully happy but their 50’s dream lifestyle is perhaps not as good as they imagined and when Johnny is spotted having a pizza in the local shopping arcade Judy is devastated and the idyllic bubble bursts.

This superbly written play has plenty of humour and whilst exploring serious issues laughs are never far away. Sandy Foster as Judy is a great actress, with her on stage partner Tom Kanji they portray a happy 50’s couple content with their lives, Once the cracks begin to appear though, their true feelings and insecurities start to come through and are depicted perfectly by both actors. Susan Twist plays Judy’s mum Sylvia who after spending her life fighting for equality of the sexes, simply can’t understand or accept her daughter’s life choice, refusing to support her when times get tough. Her character pulls the story together, pointing out to Judy just how fake her life is, living in a cartoon version of a time she never lived through.

We really enjoyed this thought provoking, emotional and funny play and can highly recommend it. It is at the Octagon Theatre until the 2nd October

Rating: 5 out of 5

Tickets cost from £15 and for more information or to book tickets visit https://octagonbolton.co.uk/whats-on/theatre/home-im-darling/ or call the box office on 01204 520661