It’s always an absolute joy to discover a play that we’re not familiar with and it turns out to be really rather wonderful – JB Priestley’s When We Are Married is one such play. The show debuted in 1938 – though it’s set some 30 years earlier – and has been revived in a new production directed by Tim Sheader, which has opened at the Donmar Warehouse in Covent Garden this week.
So what’s it all about? When We Are Married tells the tale of three couples – Albert and Annie Parker (Marc Wootton and Sophie Thompson), Herbert and Clara Soppitt (Jim Howick and Samantha Spiro), and Joseph and Maria Helliwell (John Hodgkinson and Siobhan Finneran). The three pairs all tied the knot on the same day, 25 years earlier; they have reconvened to mark their silver wedding anniversaries together. It’s quite an occasion; a photographer from the local newspaper has been called to recreate their wedding day photo.
However, their world as they know it is about to come crashing down: we see the three men – who appear to have appointed themselves as the guardians of morality in the local community – giving a dressing down to the new church organist Gerald Forbes (Reuben Joseph), who has been spotted gallivanting with a local girl. That is until Gerald produces a letter proving that the priest who married the three couples wasn’t fully qualified, which may invalidate the weddings. How will everyone react, after 25 years together, to the realisation that they are not contractually obliged to be together?
It’s an enjoyable concept for a show, and it works so well because all these characters are absolutely ridiculous – pompous, smug, brash, insufferable caricatures. It also cleverly weaves class into the mix – when the maid Mrs Northrop (Janie Connolly, who is hilarious) suddenly realises she’s morally superior to the other women by virtue of being married, as opposed to living in sin, it feels like a victory – especially given how the three ‘wives’ have spoken down to her.
It’s worth noting, of course, that this is an old play and some of the gags don’t quite land – on occasion, some of the jokes relate to outdated gender roles and stereotypes. While the Old English charm is part of the appeal of the play, this element does somewhat jar in 2025.
That gripe aside, we had a really fun evening with When We Are Married – it’s an amusing play and the acting is excellent. It’s often quite tricky to get hold of tickets at the Donmar (it’s a small theatre and their shows are usually popular) but it’s worth checking out if you can pick up a ticket.
GAY TIMES gives When We Are Married – 4/5
More information can be found here.