Just Between Ourselves
Darlington Hippodrome | 15th April 2025
Invited | Review by Stephen Stokoe
I always like going to the Darlington Hippodrome. Unlike many of the theatres, large and small in the region, there is ample, affordable parking nearby. There is large and brightly lit foyer areas servicing all your needs in terms of food and drink from the knowledgable staff who are on hand with a welcoming smile. Front of house can be a thankless task at times so I am including them in my review as they are the first impression of the experience and you know what they say about first impressions.
Entering the auditorium for this Alan Ayckbourn play is like stepping back in time. As is the trend these days, the curtain is out and the audience is immediately transported into suburbia. We are unmistakably at the rear of a two-up, two-down and can see into what is clearly a man’s garage complete with a full-sized old style mini. This made me smile because I absolutely love the old mini and I have owned a couple in my time. We find out later that the vehicle is up for sale at an ever decreasing value as the play progresses. The attention to detail on the static set (Elizabeth Wright) is superb with absolutely nothing, unintentionally out of place. I could easily imagine my own dear father pottering around in there escaping the humdrum drudgery of married life, which is exactly how Dennis (Tom Richardson) uses this predominantly male space.
We are then introduced to Neil (Joseph Clowser) who is there to inspect the car with a view to buying it for his wife, Pam (Helen Phillips), who, unbeknown to us at this point, is chatting to Dennis’ mother, Marjorie (Connie Walker) in the house. Neil is ushered into the garage by Dennis’ wife, Vera (Holly Smith) which completes the cast.
Richardson’s Dennis is reminiscent of Mr Brittas from the TV sitcom The Brittas Empire, in that he is forthright in his views, and is not afraid to share them, he seems incapable of empathy and while there is a sense of the desperate about him, he is, as they say these days, of his time – somewhere between Victorian and Generation X but it would be difficult to pinpoint where. Neil, on the other hand is a nervous and sickly man, prone to stomach problems and even before we meet Mrs Neil, we are under no illusions who ‘wears the trousers’ in their relationship – and it is not Neil.
The story is all about the state of two marriages, life in suburbia and the monotonous drudgery and tedium of day to day existence. Adding a little, if unwanted, seasoning to the married couple’s life is the somewhat fractured relationship between Mother in Law Marjorie and Dennis’s wife, Vera. The events of the story all happen around birthdays – something which is very important to Dennis, who has an obsession with all things astrological, and mother who is adamant that the traditions of the past be observed to the letter.
Throughout this two-act play, the audience laughed, winced and smiled at the antics of the two couples and Ayckbourn’s witty dialogue shines through in the script as always. The actors all play their roles impeccably and the direction from director Michael Cabot is exquisite. I have already talked about the set and Elizabeth Wright was also responsible for the costume design which was equally perfect. Looking at the characters and their costumes, I could see other characters from stage and TV which was strangely comforting as the story progresses.
There are laughs aplenty in Just Between Ourselves but there is also a serious side to the narrative which becomes increasingly disconcerting with subject matters as weighty as domestic violence, mental health and toxic relationships give the audience something to ponder over on their journeys home.
There are those who long for the so-called good old days and life may have been simpler in the age when this play is set but Ayckbourn’s insightful play is a stark and accurate reminder that, perhaps, the old days were not necessarily a great deal better, and, just between ourselves, may have been a little worse.
Just Between Ourselves is a wonderfully crafted piece of theatre from the direction, through the acting, the set and costumes, the lighting and sound and of course the superb writing from the master wordsmith Alan Ayckbourn.