New Vic hosts the latest stop of London Classic Theatre’s tour of Alan Ayckbourn’s 1976 play ‘Just Between Ourselves’.
Renound for being one of his darker plays, Dennis tinkers in his garage, cheerfully indifferent to wife Vera’s impending breakdown. Marjorie hovers in the background, making tea and finding fault. Neil has planned a birthday surprise for his wife, but Pam doesn’t share his enthusiasm, preoccupied by frustrations of her own.
Set within the suffocating domesticity of a suburban garage and garden, Ayckbourn draws back the curtains not on grand tragedy, but on the slow indifference that eventually casts a dark shadow over proceedings. The genius of the piece is that despite being written nearly 50 years ago, it still retains its relevance more than ever. Amazingly, in an interview with the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette in May 1976, Ayckbourn says he wrote the play in just two days.
Played out like an emotional game of Jenga, each scene appears slightly more off-kilter than the last, yet there’s no single moment of collapse. It’s certainly a piece to sit and ponder on, can everyone and no-one all at the same time be the villain and victim?
Tom Richardson (you may recognise from Abigail’s Party) plays Dennis, portraying his character’s journey really well, from his brash opening and poking fun at Vera, to busying himself in the garage to avoid dealing the obvious plight of his wife. Holly Smith is a fine Vera, always teetering on the edge and trying tragically to hold it together. The two actors have a great on-stage chemistry, culminating in a wonderful scene between the two where Vera is pleading with Dennis for help.
Buzzing around the pair are the immature and nervous Neil (Joseph Clowser) and dissatisfied Pam (Helen Phillips). Both do an excellent job showcasing their characters’ own struggles. Pam’s realisation that marriage and motherhood means her hopes and dreams play second fiddle, whilst her husband is inattentive and ignorant to her desires.
Connie Walker plays Dennis’ mother Marjorie, contributing to the domestic unrest with her constant fussing over Dennis and fault-finding with Vera. Marjorie’s character in opposition to the other four, seem to grow amidst the chaos.
The set is impressive with a full size bright green Mini Cooper centre stage, complete with full workbench and garden adornments outside. The whole play takes place between the garage and the garden. Tools of the era litter the bench, with little hidden gems such as a tin of Quality Street on one of the shelves, presumably doubled as a nick-nack holder (have they really shrunk that much since!?)
Its an examination of the human condition, a well produced piece, whilst humorous, has a strange undercurrent which draws the audience in, with pathos, to see the obvious deterioration of the characters whilst they go blindly along. It’s unlike a traditional Ayckbourn you may have seen which makes it a compelling watch.
Excellently executed and produced, it has humour and tragedy and is absolutely worth viewing. It’s on until 3rd May with several matinee’s. Tickets available from the box office, or online here: https://www.newvictheatre.org.uk/productions/just-between-ourselves/
