Alan Ayckbourn has long been known for peeling back the comfortable façades of middle-class life to expose the discomfort within, and Just Between Ourselves is no exception. Currently showing at New Theatre Cardiff from 3rd to 5th July, this darkly comic play treads a fine line between laughter and quiet despair — and in this new touring production, directed with poignancy and restraint by Michael Cabot, it is nothing short of compelling.
Set in 1976, the play unfolds over four distinct scenes — each tied to a birthday — in the home of Dennis and Vera, a setting brought to vivid life through Elizabeth Wright’s superbly nostalgic set and costume design. With an old green Austin Mini in the garage and a patio brimming with 1970s domesticity, the audience is transported back to a time that feels all too familiar, yet jarringly distant in its social norms and expectations.
At the heart of the play is the slowly unravelling relationship between cheery but oblivious Dennis (Tom Richardson) and his increasingly fragile wife Vera (Holly Smith). Dennis potters about in his garage, radio blaring, blissfully unaware — or perhaps wilfully ignorant — of Vera’s descent into what would have been termed, at the time, a “nervous breakdown”.
Smith’s portrayal of Vera is heartbreakingly nuanced. She captures the essence of a woman who has quietly and dutifully endured far too much. Opposite her, Richardson’s Dennis is maddeningly upbeat, a man whose chirpiness masks a deep emotional vacuum. Their scenes together are some of the most uncomfortable — and tragically funny — moments in the play.
Joseph Clowser brings a subtle intensity to the role of Neil, while Connie Walker’s Marjorie is a perfectly brittle presence, controlling and coldly maternal in her interactions. Helen Phillips as Pam injects energy into the ensemble, offering a foil to Vera’s increasing fragility.
Cabot’s direction ensures the tension builds slowly, never tipping too far into melodrama, while still allowing the script’s undercurrents of suppressed hostility to simmer. The result is a play that leaves you laughing one moment, and quietly devastated the next.
Ayckbourn has always had a gift for writing women with a deep understanding of the emotional labour they carry, and Vera is no exception. What’s remarkable is how prescient his work feels — touching on mental ill health, strained gender roles, and the quiet tragedies that play out behind closed doors. It’s both a period piece and a mirror to today.
Just Between Ourselves is not always easy watching, but it is richly rewarding. A sharply observed, bittersweet slice of life that reminds us how little — and yet how much — has changed.
Just Between Ourselves runs at New Theatre Cardiff until Saturday 5th July 2025.
Tickets are priced between £24.00–£37.00 and can be booked here: https://trafalgartickets.com/new-theatre-cardiff/en-GB/event/play/just-between-ourselves-tickets
