Harriet Joyce attends the closing night of Incognito Theatre’s latest production
Laura Wade’s Home, I’m Darling is a dark comedic play about the quest to be the perfect 1950s housewife… in the 21st century.
Last month’s run at Friern Barnet-based Incognito Theatre was directed by Mexican actor and director, Alejandro Teran, who has been both acting and directing in London for 10 years, and previously starred as Scrooge in the amateur group’s production of A Christmas Carol last year.
Home, I’m Darling proved to be yet another hit from Incognito, partly thanks to the strikingly eccentric 1950s-style set. This helped to convey the complicated juxtaposition between the play’s plot and its present-day setting: exploring the idea that women now have the ability to be bosses of big corporations but may be unsatisfied with the restrictive transactional ideals of modern society.
Chris Mason, who previously worked on Incognito’s production of Gaslight this year, adorned the stage with authentic and functional props, including a 1950s-style fridge which was still being used by the previous owner right up until the moment it was given to the theatre. The kitchen was also adorned with a cabinet “similar to one’s your grandmothers would’ve had before the use of fitted kitchen cupboards”, according to John Savage, who has worked as a set builder on previous Incognito productions.
Mason’s use of pink pelican wallpaper throughout the living room created a sense of rose-tinted fantasy, enhanced by the glow of the warm wall-lamps: appearing in scenes between main characters Judy (Alexandra Charalambous) and Johnny (Tom Skitt), these emphasised the fanciful nature of the protagonists.
The lighting, designed and operated by Richard Boohan, became cooler as Janet Rees, playing Judy’s Mother Sylvia, entered the stage showing how the mother’s harsh sense of reality is sterilising Judy’s dream of being a 1950s housewife through the use of white LED lighting.
The animated, mirrored actions of both Johnny and Judy – such as the buoyant kiss they shared at the start of their scenes together – contrasted with the subtle micro-expressions from Skitt, who previously starred in Incognito productions of The Weir and A Christmas Carol.
Katherine Fry, Geoff Prutton and Naomi Smallwood also played brilliant supporting roles, with Prutton giving a scarily accurate portrayal of Marcus, a type of 1950s man who hasn’t disappeared since the 1950s.
The clever costume design from Margaret Johnson, who has been working with the theatre since 2005, saw protagonist Judy transition from a 50s dinner dress into a Rolling Stones band tee and blue denim flared jeans. The expressed the character’s development, while showing she has room to grow much like the role of feminism in society.
Other subtleties in Johnston’s costume design, such as Sylvia’s hot pink tights, showed the harsh rose-tinted feminist perspective the older generation sometimes holds over 21st century women.
For example, their belief that 21st century women are much better off than women during the 50s or the idea that women no longer suffer with issues of inequality and are ecstatic that they now have the ability to be employees for major corporations.
All this despite the fact that they still face prejudice both in and outside the workplace due to their gender and when discussing whether or not they want to be mothers.
For more information about and tickets for future Incognito Theatre productions go to: https://www.incognitotheatre.co.uk/
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