Stage Review Just Between Ourselves
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| Helen Phillips (Pam) and Tom Richardson (Dennis) Just Between Ourselves Derby Theatre Photograph Will Green |
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| Connie Walker (Marjorie) and Holly Smith (Vera) Just Between Ourselves Derby Theatre Photograph Will Green |
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| Joseph Clowser as Neil Just Between Ourselves Derby Theatre Photograph Will Green |
JUST BETWEEN OURSELVES
WRITTEN BY ALAN AYCKBOURNDIRECTED BY MICHAEL CABOT
Practical Dennis is not and he is pretty clueless about cars. Wife, Vera has become accident prone and her nerves are bad, Dennis is trying to sell on her car as she doesn't drive anymore. Neil arrives and is interested in buying the car for his wife, Pam, but she resists as it is not her money that would be paying for it.
After discovering that they all share a loose connection their futures as friends are rooted going forward, and, though the car remains unsold, they keep in touch. Each visit from there on in includes getting together on birthday occasions.
It turns out, through candid conversation or through public outbursts these people are, what would be termed today, oversharers.
Dennis undermines Vera and is unable to deal with her mental fragility, instead he is forever ringing the praises of his mother, Marjorie (who lives with them). In his eyes Mum is what a woman should be and he can lean on her. Marjorie is a traditionalist and during afternoon tea makes it a thing about Vera serving cucumber sandwiches instead of birthday cake; she thinks Vera should be making more effort to make a birthday special.
Neil and Pam are pretty miserable too, Neil has a nervous stomach and is a spiritless individual while Pam is independent and resents him as she sees opportunities are passing her by.
Comment
This is a domestic setting and the navigation of the mundane everyday of life are seen as obstacles to overcome from its woeful inhabitants. This has Alan Ayckbourn's signature all over it as his writing for stage is similar in context to what British screenwriters were writing for TV comedies in the 1970s.
Such period pieces highlight the kind of class and gender stereotyping that existed in British life and which writers, like Ayckbourn, captured in essence. Younger male characters often stumble through life, not quite living up to a Father's legacy or deemed as mummy's boys. Younger women were either deskilled and uptight individuals or the complete opposite, sex mad and unfulfilled. Older women were made bossy, no nonsense people, covering up a softer side. While older men were often upholding and supporters of the establishment.
Whereas, no older men actually feature in this play, we see a woman (in the case Vera) being left out in the cold by her husband and his mother, tipping her over the edge to 'mental breakdown' for laughs, how times have changed!
Acknowledging the company is all about the classics but for all of its production merits this playscript is rather tired.
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| Set design by designer, Elizabeth Wright and Michael Cabot in collaboration Just Between Ourselves Derby Theatre |
The set features a real, vintage mini placed smack in the centre of the untidy garage/home workshop. Again, as was London Classic Theatre's past production Absent Friends (2015) the set and the costume design is a triumph - great vision from the director in collaboration with Elizabeth Wright from model to full set and fully realised by the work of the creative team.
Review by theatre critic, Debra Hall who attended the evening performance of Just Between Ourselves at Derby Theatre on Tuesday 13 2025 REFERENCES
McIntosh, K.
Just Between Ourselves Prod Photography Derby Theatre 12 May 2024
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