Home, I’m Darling

Home, I’m Darling by Laura Wade

Johnny and Judy are a contemporary married couple who have made the conscious decision to live their lives as if it is the 1950s (as much as possible - Johnny does need a cell phone for work, and they have a laptop hidden in a cabinet). Their friend Marcus wishes sometimes that his wife Fran would get into the more domestic lifestyle, though she doesn’t really have it in her. Judy’s mother Sylvia - a former feminist who lived on a commune - is absolutely flummoxed by their agreement. However, when it turns out that all is not well in paradise, Judy and Johnny are forced to confront their feelings about the 50s and about each other.

I found this play generally pretty charming, but I’m not sure I was really able to get invested in the stakes, as I really identified more with her flabbergasted mother than with the main character. A formerly high-powered executive who had opted to turn herself into a domestic near-recluse who managed to miss out on huge news stories like the death of Castro was simply not someone I could really wrap my mind around. The central question ends up being about how to be honest with ourselves and with each other within a relationship, and that’s nice, but I am not sure this was the particular road to that conversation that is right for me.