1970s comedy has a deep and dark soul

REVIEW: 'Just Between Ourselves' at New Theatre, Cardiff

Alan Ayckbourn's vintage comedy Just Between Ourselves opened the brief Cardiff leg of its UK tour to a small but appreciative audience at the New Theatre last night (Thursday).

The tour marks 25 years of London Classic Theatre as a touring company, but the play they've chosen is almost twice that old.

Just Between Ourselves, perhaps one of Aykbourn's less familiar works (at least to me), dates from 1976, and under director Michael Cabot, this production certainly has an authentic period feel.

That's thanks largely to the brilliant work of designer Elizabeth Wright, whose sets and costumes look convincingly authentic.

Indeed, the nostalgia is ramped up from the start, as the play opens with a broadcast of the much-loved Radio 4 comedy show Just a Minute, hosted by Nicholas Parsons. So, audience members of a certain vintage (like me) are immediately on board.

The action focuses in and around Dennis's (Tom Richardson) very believable garage, half-filled with his wife Vera's (Holly Smith) Mini. To today's audience that car is an appealing classic, but then it was a cheap runaround - one which Vera no longer drives and which Dennis is struggling to get rid of.

The garage is Dennis's 'man-cave' - long before the term was popularised. He spends his time there, mending kettles and other domestic objects (this is before the throw-away society), oblivious to the fact that his domestic situation is breaking beyond repair.

Poor Vera is suffering a gradual mental breakdown, exacerbated by the presence of Dennis's overbearing mother, Marjorie (Connie Walker). But happy-go-lucky Dennis is tucked away in his garage (further isolated by the fact that the door sticks) and fails to see what's happening - convinced, in his over-optimistic way, that Vera's getting better and just needs time.

Aykbourn adds another dysfunctional couple to the mix - Pam (Helen Phillips) and Neil (Joseph Clowser), who come looking to buy the car, but over the course of a year, having struck up a friendship with Dennis and Vera, never do.

The cast is exceptionally good, with dialogue and movements perfectly timed and delivered. At times I was chuckling as if I was watching a superior version of a British 1970s sitcom like Terry and June or George and Mildred. But this is Dennis and Vera (and Marjorie) meet Neil and Pam. And it has a much deeper and darker soul than those lightweight TV offerings of the same era.

The laughs here are often uncomfortable, and at times, the tragedy of it all comes to the fore. It's not just Vera's sad decline - Pam feels neglected and worthless, and Neil fears he has failed to live up to Pam's expectations.

They all try to tell Dennis, but he just doesn't hear. Perhaps because he fears such negativity could lead to him to acknowledge the shortcomings in his own life.

Yes, there is a lot of darkness here among the laughs, so don't expect necessarily to leave the theatre with a smile on your face and a spring in your step!

But it's a rare chance to see a play regarded as one of Aykbourn's most emotionally charged, and for that reason alone it's worth checking out.

Just Between Ourselves continues at the New Theatre this evening (Friday 4 July) and tomorrow (Saturday) afternoon. You can find out more and order tickets online here or from the box office on 0343 310 0041.

Please bear in mind, Oasis will be playing at the Principality Stadium tonight (Friday) and tomorrow, causing road closures, parking restrictions, and transport changes. So, allow more time to get into town.

Review by Andy Weltch

Photos by Will Green

We received free tickets for this performance in exchange for an honest review