Dronfield Players’ Home I’m Darling – 25 March 2026, Dronfield Civic Hall
Review by Claire Stanley.
‘Home I’m Darling’ is a witty and thought-provoking play by Laura Wade. The Dronfield Players version being directed by Sarah Betts. Not knowing what to expect tonight, apart from it being a piece that looks at the concept of being a ‘trad wife’, I was met by the pleasing lead character of ‘Judy’, who as said trad wife is “happily married” to ‘Jonny’. She and husband Jonny are set into today’s modern life, yet it is anything but…The stage set, which I soon began to regard as an extra character in the play, was perfectly presented as 1950’s Vintage with baby blue walls, pink gingham and an imposing Ice Box. It reminded me of a late 50’s Breakfast Commercial (and as such, I award recognition to John Pashley and Sarah Betts for understanding how important this seemed to be, and to their set building crew for making an excellent job of it). ‘Judy’ played with great flair by Debbie Munro is a lady in her forties whom having given up work believes her vintage lifestyle of housewife duties and lindy bop dresses provides all life’s answers. To question whether this is fantasy or not, the other characters; mum ‘Sylvia’, friend ‘Fran’, Fran’s husband ‘Marcus’ and Jonny’s boss ‘Alex’ are employed as devices to reflect a process of cracks a-showing. The script is sardonically comical and in the first scene, both ‘Judy’ and husband ‘Jonny’ declare six different descriptions of their happiness in 120 seconds of dialogue, culminating with the statement that they are “offensively happy”. But are they???
No great plot spoilers from me here, but Fran is soon on the scene quite literally to proclaim to Judy that she thinks she saw Jonny out at lunchtime, eating pizza with another woman and thus the first crack in Judy’s life is visible to the audience. There are many more meaty ones to follow which I of course won’t reveal here. ‘Fran’ (Jeanette Roberts) does not have a great chunk of script but she is placed within the play enough to represent the role of Friend and to deliver dialogue containing the most profanities! It is a fun part that Jeanette Roberts pitches with vigour as does her “husband” Marcus (played by Ian Brady). Although his performance is a little uneven at times, he is cast appropriately alongside the role of Fran and in Act Two, we see a different side to Marcus that requires more complex body language which Ian Brady handles well. ‘Jonny’ the husband is very competently acted by Daniel Roberts who is able to present emotions of frustration or happiness as the many differing scenes demand. He never slips into exaggeration and adopts convincing expressions, especially when his character is under pressure. Between himself and ‘Judy’ believable chemistry is achieved.
Judy is performed as an authentic three-dimensional human searching for control yet comfort. She comes across as lived in and authentic, navigating her character arc from being blindly optimistic to someone with more measure. Judy’s discomfort manifests in her often hiding truths from her husband,-and more importantly from herself. When challenged on whether she should be using an old vintage fridge which no longer works properly, she states that “you don’t just give up on things”. As the audience we are able to see that this holds poignant Bigger Picture meaning. Debbie Munro’s Judy is in every scene and she therefore does very heavy lifting throughout the play,-notably this does not phase her. It is impressive and a delight to watch.
The role of ‘Sylvia’ is a compelling one. She is ballsy and independent, on the surface opposite to her daughter ‘Judy’. As Judy’s mum she is stereotypically critical of her daughter, questioning her choices and lifestyle. The script awards her great humour which Erica Leach plays excellently. ‘Sylvia’ has a monologue in Act Two which thanks to such lively script is very engaging. She essentially outs the fifties as “grey” in contrast to her daughter thinking that said times were pink gingham and “better”. Sylvia’ describes her own mother back in the day as having a tough time as a fifties mum and being scared of any “new” foods such as yoghurt! You had to be there of course but trust me, this was slick delivered sarcasm and tonight earned Erica Leach her own round of applause from the whole audience, mid scene. Very well deserved.
‘Alex’ played confidently by Annabel Shirley was word perfect and portrayed the role plausibly of Jonny’s Boss, a modern manager in today’s society. Her projection was spot on too, as were all the other five cast members. This play really does get one thinking about the roles we play in life and why we afford them. The dialogue is written so that there are many opportunities for comic timing and badinage. A lot can be done with it and tonight, I could see many of those opportunities were seized. The direction of this piece is a great achievement to Sarah Betts who also ensured all areas of the set were utilised to advantage, with a good mix of height difference (set pieces of characters stood up in the kitchen and sat down on the sofas). These offered great variety and realism to convey married life. The Dronfield Players provided a capable and pleasantly delivered version of this relatively new play tonight. Well Done to all! Thank you for such a warm welcome and lovely evening of entertainment.
