Home, I'm Darling-Theatr Clywd/National/Duke of York/Tour

I don’t want to go into too much detail as I don’t want to spoil it for others. Also I can only give a partial view because I haven’t seen the whole play. The Parkinson character seems depressed from the start and it would have been great if we could have seen her enjoying and believing in the illusion that she has created for herself a bit more before hinting that it isn’t quite what it seems. I found it all a bit joyless - even when she danced with her friend’s husband the joy was wrung out of the action because of her desperation. What was interesting about the play was that it was like an updating of Ibsen’s a Doll’s House - which is reflected in the set. Except that here the dialogue is stilted and the play’s events are closer to sit-com action. The thing I really don’t understand is how this speaks to the experience of women today. Perhaps it doesn’t have to, but if you are going to explore feminism today at least do your homework and make this a little more incisive. I am pleased to note however that my opinion is a minority view and that most of you (and the critics) like the play. My leaving at the interval just means that it wasn’t my cup of tea, that’s all. And I wasn’t in the mood to sit through something I wasn’t enjoying.

Interesting - there's a scene at the start of the second act (flashback) that tries to do that - but (at least to my mind) it doesn't go deep enough - so you never quite end up believing the strength of her commitment to the game, or the reasons for it. (And, you didn't miss much. Without this backbone, the narrative meanders in the second act..)

I didn't enjoy this much at all. Having given up paid employment (as a postdoctoral research fellow) when I had my eldest child twenty years ago I am keenly aware of the issues around financial dependency, isolation, finding meaning through the domestic etc. but I just didn't think this play addressed them in an interesting, novel or entertaining way. Interestingly (and not for the first time at the National) I thought the programme notes - specifically the essay by Victoria Smith - were much more insightful and better written than the play. It wasn't terrible - and clearly there were some good performances but I could have spent my Thursday evening more productively and enjoyably.

Funnily enough when I came home I checked my bookshelves and found that I have a copy of Kay Smallshaw's 'How To Run Your Home Without Help' (the 2005 Persephone edition, not the 1949 original). It is clear from both the flawless state of the book and the less than flawless state of my home that I have never read it!

peggs was also there this afternoon.

Katherine Parkinson was excellent as expected, found the play itself a little tedious.

Maybe was expecting a more insightful exploration of living life through a rose tinted lens of an idealised past.

I was also somewhat alarmed to see things I remembered growing up with, my parents clearly weren't that cutting sledge as I grew up in the 80s, mind you my mum still uses one of those weight milk covers too.

Oh sorry to miss you showgirl

Yep a better evening than Allelujah.
I really enjoyed this. Best description of the 50s I’ve heard - almost as good as my own. I think there was a lot in this play about marriage more than the clear cut equality question. Well not that clear cut. I liked the dialogue between them. I feel it is contemporary and unstagey. I’d like to read it and I can see this having a bit of a life because there is enough there to carry it forward.
I do think the West End beckons.

Oh lynette, did I miss you, how disappointing! Yes, I can see it transferring. Worked on a lot of levels for me and Sian Thomas stole the show. Oh, and the frocks are fab!

Should've  worn me badge. I liked the hairstyles. 

Having watched this tonight, it has confirmed my belief that Katherine Parkinson is truly a national treasure. Having seen her in “Dead Funny” and this play as well as CH4 “Humans” , she has never disappointed me in any of those performances. Even on stage when she isn’t saying anything, just a look she gives to someone can say so much.

While KP was the main reason for watching the play, I thought Sian Thomas gave an absolutely brilliant performance as Judy’s mum. For me, her speech to Judy about the realities of living in the 1950s rather than the fantasy world that Judy has created was the highlight of the play.

I have to feel sorry for Barnaby Kay who played Marcus. He really didn’t have that much to do in Act 1, though I thought he had much more to do Act 2.

The NT set design department have come up trumps with this play. The house set is absolutely brilliant and the attention to detail is amazing. Sat in Row C of the pit meant at times it was difficult to see the 1st floor. After the show I managed to stay behind once the crowds had dispersed to have a proper look at the set and even those upstairs rooms have so much period detail even if they are not always utilised fully during the play.

KP’s clothing like the set are brilliant and the attention to detail is amazing.

One thing that did annoy me was all that food produced. Seeing people eating chocolate cake on stage whilst having an empty stomach is not good. They could of at least offered it around!

For me, more miss than hit. Only the mother comes across as having a distinctively real character, the others are obvious plot contrivances. Warning to those in the restricted view seats on the left - expect to have to treat this as a radio play as you'll miss a lot of the action when it's in the lounge bit of the set (it actually works OK like that so maybe with a bit of work it has a future on the radio...)

Well I just loved this tonight!

Very informative about nostalgia being a fantasy, but also I took a little from it about what we should value from the times past. I loved the exploration of their marriage and working together to make each other happy, the ending almost seemed very 50's with it all being happy.

Of course the set and costumes were such a visual delight, would love it to win best set as they really do go all out, even for the bathroom which is barely used.

I was in M4 which was fine and yes if you do have the higher numbers you might miss a little more than the lower numbers.

So happy to see this after the disaster of Exit the King.

I just loved it!