Home, I'm Darling

Home, I'm Darling
Written by	Laura Wade
Characters	Judy Alex Johnny Sylvia Fran Marcus
Date premiered	25 June 2018 (2018-06-25)
Place premiered	Theatr Clwyd
Original language	English

Home, I'm Darling is a play by Laura Wade.^[1]

Plot summary

Judy and Johnny lead a 50’s lifestyle, clothes, décor, appliances. She stays at home while Johnny works as an estate agent. He hopes for a promotion. He realises they have financial problems; the house might be repossessed. Three years earlier Judy had taken voluntary redundancy, but the money has run out. He is underperforming at work and doesn’t earn as much commission. He says he isn’t happy. They need to change. He gets a promotion, but it will involve a long commute. They agree to compromise.

Production history

Theatr Clwyd/National Theatre production

The play made its world premiere at Theatr Clwyd from 25 June to 14 July 2018, before transferring to the Dorfman Theatre at the National Theatre, London from 24 July to 5 September.^[2][3] The production was directed by Tamara Harvey and starred Katherine Parkinson as Judy. On 31 August, National Theatre artistic director Rufus Norris stepped in to play Johnny after Richard Harrington was left indisposed.^[4]

After the original production, it transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre in London's West End from 26 January to 13 April 2019, before embarking on a UK tour to the Theatre Royal, Bath, and The Lowry, Salford, before returning to Theatr Clwyd.^[5]

The production toured again in spring 2023 starring Jessica Ransom as Judy, Neil McDermott as Johnny and Diane Keen as Sylvia.^[6]

Australian productions

The play made its Australian premiere at the Melbourne Theatre Company from 20 January to 29 February 2020 at the Southbank Theatre, The Summer, directed by Sarah Goodes and starring Nikki Shiels as Judy.^[7]

A production at the Sydney Theatre Company opened at the Drama Theatre at the Sydney Opera House in from 6 April to 15 May 2021, directed by Jessica Arthur and starring Andrea Demetriades as Judy. It was originally due to open in April 2020, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic the production was postponed.^[8]

UK Northern Tour 2021

The play made its regional debut in the UK in 2021. The production was directed by Liz Stevenson, in a co-production between the Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough, the Octagon in Bolton and Theatre by the Lake in Keswick. The production was in the round, the first time the play had been performed in this configuration.^[9]

Cast and characters

Character	Theatr Clwyd / National Theatre (2018)	West End / UK Tour (2019)	Melbourne (2020)	Sydney (2021)	UK Tour (2021)	UK tour (2023)
Judy	Katherine Parkinson		Nikki Shiels	Andrea Demetriades	Sandy Foster	Jessica Ransom
Johnny	Richard Harrington	Richard Harrington (West End) Jo Stone-Fewings (Tour)	Toby Truslove	Anthony Taufa	Tom Kanji	Neil McDermott
Sylvia	Sian Thomas	Susan Brown	Jane Turner	Tracy Mann	Susan Twist	Diane Keen
Alex	Sara Gregory		Izabella Yena	Kirsty Marillier	Sophie Mercell	Shanez Pattni
Fran	Kathryn Drysdale	Siubhan Harrison	Susie Youssef	Chantelle Jamieson	Vicky Binns	Cassie Bradley
Marcus	Barnaby Kay	Hywel Morgan	Peter Paltos	Gareth Davies	Sam Jenkins-Shaw	Matthew Douglas

Awards and nominations

Original UK/West End production

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2018	UK Theatre Award[10]	Best New Play	Laura Wade	Nominated
	BroadwayWorld UK Award[11]	Best Actress in a New Production of a Play	Katherine Parkinson	Nominated
2019	Laurence Olivier Award[12]	Best New Comedy		Won
		Best Actress in a Play	Katherine Parkinson	Nominated
		Best Actress in a Supporting Role	Susan Brown	Nominated
		Best Set Design	Anna Fleischle	Nominated
		Best Costume Design		Nominated
	WhatsOnStage Award[13]	Best Actress in a Play	Katherine Parkinson	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress in a Play	Sian Thomas	Nominated

References

1. Haynes, Natalie (4 July 2018). "Home, I'm Darling review – cupcakes, cocktails and fetishising wifeliness". The Guardian.
2. "Richard Harrington cast in National Theatre and Theatr Clwyd's Home, I'm Darling | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
3. "Home, I'm Darling, National Theatre review: Well worth a ticket". The Independent. 2018-08-01. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
4. "Rufus Norris steps in to star in Home, I'm Darling at the National Theatre | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
5. "Cast joining Katherine Parkinson in the Home, I'm Darling West End transfer announced | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2019-04-07.
6. "Home, I'm Darling - Bill Kenwright Limited". 2022-10-04. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
7. "Home, I'm Darling". www.mtc.com.au. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
8. "Home, I'm Darling". Sydney Theatre Company. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
9. "Theatre by the Lake announces Home, I'm Darling revival and plans to reopen this autumn". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2021-08-26.
10. "2018 UK Theatre Awards nominees announced | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
11. BWW News Desk. "Shortlist Announced For The 2018 BroadwayWorld UK Awards; Voting Now Open!". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.
12. McPhee, Ryan (2019-03-05). "2019 Olivier Award Nominations: London's Company and Come From Away Lead the Pack". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
13. "Hamilton leads 19th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards nominations | WhatsOnStage". www.whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 2020-12-03.