Howick Little Theatre’s 2023 season is about to get under way with a play exploring a happy couple’s unusual relationship with the past.
The theatre is staging a production of writer Laura Wade’s light-hearted comedy Home, I’m Darling, directed by Carleena Walsh.
It plays from February 25 to March 18 and centres on the character Judy, a woman who appears to be the “perfect 1950s housewife”.
She makes her husband Johnny breakfast, pours him drinks and they dance their evenings away.
The only problem is the play is set not in the 1950s but in the present day.
Theatre committee member Andrew Johnson says the play will take audience members back in time on a “journey to the past”.
“It’s a witty and thought-provoking play. The show takes people on a nostalgic journey while exploring the balance between our dreams and the reality of modern life.
“The show follows a couple who are passionate about the 1950s and decide to throw themselves into living in their version of a perfect nostalgic era.
“Their house is a perfect representation of the era, complete with pastel bathrooms, mid-century knickknacks, and the smell of home cooking.”
However, Johnson says the couple’s perfect world is disrupted by the realities of the 21st century, “be it finances, relationships or sexual politics”.
“The play explores the challenges of balancing the idealised version of the past with the present day, through the story of a homemaker who tries to navigate the difficulties of being a domestic goddess in the modern world.
“It’s a hilarious and thought-provoking commentary on our relationship with the past and will have people laughing and pondering at the same time.”
- Home, I’m Darling
Directed by Carleena Walsh
Howick Little Theatre, 1 Sir Lloyd Drive, Pakuranga
Season: February 25 to March 18, shows at 8pm, with 2pm matinees on February 26 and March 5 at 2pm.
www.hlt.org.nz
