Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Kate Wyver

When We Are Married review – JB Priestley playfully upends gender roles

Sophie Thompson, Siobhan Finneran and Samantha Spiro in When We Are Married at Donmar Warehouse.
Pleasantly silly … Sophie Thompson, Siobhan Finneran and Samantha Spiro in When We Are Married at Donmar Warehouse. Photograph: Johan Persson

Stomachs are tight, bottles are empty, and the night has just begun. JB Priestley’s cosy comedy is easy entertainment on a chilly evening, and Tim Sheader’s chucklesome production conjures the comforting feeling of sinking into an armchair by a fire and rewatching a quaint old classic.

Written in 1934 and set in 1908, this shenanigan-filled drama sees three middle-class Yorkshire couples smugly toasting their silver wedding anniversaries. Monied, mannered, and blindingly dressed by costume designer Anna Fleischle (all fine tweed and extravagant puffs of lace cuffs), their unravelling begins with the discovery that a mistake occurred 25 years ago. None of them are married after all.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.