I wonder if I’m being too reductive by saying the takeaway message appeared to be that it is never too early in adulthood to give some consideration to giving someone power of attorney in case one becomes incapacitated. What happens to Daniel Bixby (Joel Harper-Jackson), an architect, is perhaps an extreme case: he finds himself in need of round-the-clock care despite not having been in a nasty accident or the victim of a crime against the person. This is, therefore, one of those plays in which life isn’t exactly tickety-boo but the characters are nonetheless bearing up, until a critical incident appears, seemingly out of nowhere, which irrevocably changes the lives of everyone in the play.
Daniel’s ‘husband’, inverted commas mine, because the couple aren’t married, Mitchell Howard (Luke Fetherston), is a novelist. Mitchell’s agent, Barry Dylon (David Bedella, always with a warm and engaging stage presence), is also a close friend, which, just about, justifies having him around Daniel and Mitchell’s house as often as he is. Barry’s latest love interest, Trip (Raiko Gohara), is what Barry calls a nurse and what Daniel’s mother, Lydia (an assured Liza Sadovy), calls a caregiver. Trip himself prefers a job title so pretentious I can’t even remember it.
Still, Justin Williams’ set design – all six scenes are set in “the main room of Daniel’s and Mitchell’s perfectly appointed home”, as the show’s programme puts it – is impressive, giving the living space a tidy but nonetheless lived-in atmosphere, far from, for instance, the neutral colours of a hotel room. Mitchell has some strong opinions, particularly with regards to marriage. The blockbuster musical Mamma Mia! is infinitely more succinct than Mitchell is on the subject when it declares, with a tinge of sarcasm, that “Marriage is an institution for people who belong in an institution”. Here, Daniel eventually loses his cool, which finally brings an end to Mitchell’s ranting. I found Mitchell to be the most intriguing character, nonetheless – his more recent literary output is more commercially successful than the sort of material he used to write, but he feels it is substantially less intelligent and sophisticated. In short, he thinks he’s a sellout.
What begins as a sitcom shifts into something very sad and – this show being set in America – litigious. I suppose if the play really wanted to portray America at its darkest, there would have been guns involved, too. Anyway, there was something rather didactic about the play even before the critical incident, with Daniel arguing that he and Mitchell ought to tie the knot because, amongst other things, they can, a nod to the legal recognition of same-sex marriage having been expanded to all of the states in the USA in 2015. I wasn’t wholly convinced by the whole do-it-because-we-can reasoning, and found myself agreeing with Mitchell, who would defend the right of others, regardless of sexual orientation, to marry if they wanted to, whilst standing firm in his own decision not to.
Lydia is a rather overbearing mother, with random thoughts such as, “Everybody knows lesbians love chicken”, much to Daniel’s chagrin, especially when she comes to stay at his and Mitchell’s place for a whole week. The family dynamics were interesting to observe, even if they were an almost inevitable and thus predictable source of dramatic tension. On balance, Lydia becomes the play’s antagonist, even if she insists there are no villains amongst them.
There are moments when the play felt contrived, though it does well to present different perspectives alongside one another. That gives the show much appeal. I doubt anyone in the press night audience needed convincing of the benefits of same-sex marriage, and the story demonstrates that if people marry predominantly for legal and tax purposes, there’s much power that a marriage certificate still holds, however progressive the world has apparently become. A modern fable about the dangers of procrastination, there’s much food for thought in this intense and compelling production.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Daniel and Mitchell live a meticulously curated life; they have successful careers, a beautifully appointed home, devoted friends, and a profound love for one another. But an unexpected crisis jeopardises their boundlessly bright future, shaking the foundation of their relationship and testing the strength of their devotion. Daniel’s Husband is an unflinching look at the nature of commitment and the complexities of our intricately layered beliefs.
An unflinching look at the nature of love, Daniel’s Husband asks us among other things to consider where our strongest convictions live: in our hearts or in our minds.
CAST
Barry – David Bedella
Mitchell – Luke Fetherston
Trip – Raiko Gohara
Daniel – Joel Harper-Jackson
Lydia – Liza Sadovy
CREATIVES
Written by Michael McKeever
Directed by Alan Souza
Set and Costume Design by Justin Williams
Lighting Design by Jamie Platt
Sound Design by Sarah Weltman
Casting by Arthur Carrington
DANIEL’S HUSBAND
Marylebone Theatre
4 December 2025 to 10 January 2026
