Born in 1896 and having served and been severely wounded in World War One, R C Sheriff was not healthy enough to embark on a degree course at Oxford until 1931, having completed the play for which he is most well known, Journey’s End, in 1927. This was followed by a series of novels and screenplays, perhaps most notably The Dam Busters, many of which were highly successful at the time.
Home at Seven was first staged at Theatre Royal Brighton in 1950, transferring to London where it ran for 342 performances, Variety calling it “one of the major successes of the legit season“. It was so successful that it was filmed in 1952, again starring Ralph Richardson who had a great personal success with the leading role of David Preston: he also directed the screen version, which is more than well worth seeing for Richardson’s typically understated, “English” portrayal. In 1957 a new production was broadcast by BBC Television, this time starring Peter Cushing, with Helen Shingler as his wife. Since then, nothing: so a revival is well overdue, if only to see how dated this “mystery play” is seventy-five years on!
After VE and VJ days, there were many plays similar to Home at Seven gracing West End theatres – this being the age before Arnold Wesker and John Osborne. In this play, Preston returns home on a Tuesday after work at 7pm as usual, only to discover that 24 hours have elapsed without him being aware of it – he believes it is Monday evening – and that he might have been involved not only in a theft but also in murder.
In Claire Evans’ pacey production David Preston is played by Sam Ellis, with an understanding of what the play needs – naturalistic acting and a belief in the writing. Whereas some of his supporting cast are inclined to stereotype their roles, Ellis gives the role some depth and pathos, especially in the final scene where he finds it difficult to believe what has happened. His wife, Janet, is in the capable hands of Bridget Lambert even though both the playwright and director seem to ask her to always react in the same way – with anguish and wringing of hands. However, her scene with the solicitor, Mr Petherbridge, is quite moving and demonstrates how good the writing often is.
It is a shame that the costuming of Mr Petherbridge hinders Jeremy Todd’s portrayal, as it is far too informal for a solicitor in the early 1950s. Perhaps this is the director’s intention, though it is a pity that he sometimes appears uncertain with his lines, which can take the viewer out of the moment.
Andrew Williams, in the role of Preston’s Dr Sparling almost avoids stereotyping a typical GP, but Karl Moffat just blusters as Major Watson and fails to convince – his ill-fitting costume does not help. Greg Fitch is lightweight as Inspector Hemingway and Maddie Crofts, as Peggy Dobson, is also hampered by a very bold “tarty” dress, although her character should not be at all raunchy. One wonders if the costume designer (Jan Huckle) read the script.
David Fitzhugh’s set is workmanlike but does not seem redolent of a post-1945 suburban house in Bromley. For example, the walls would be wallpapered, not given a coat of light green emulsion, and there would not be different coloured throws on the chairs and settee!
Home at Seven is ‘well-made’ and warm-hearted, typical of its kind, and is the sort of play I find it impossible not to enjoy! One knows, even as one buys one’s tickets, and then sits in the theatre, that, whatever happens in the next two hours, the playwright will ensure that all the ends are satisfactorily tied together and that all will end happily. It is the sort of play that audiences needed in 1950, and perhaps do seventy-five years later!
Review by John Groves
Home at Seven takes place five years after the end on the Second World War. The country is still recovering from years of bomb damage, and its people continue to endure rationing and are trying to restore normality after six years when everything had been turned on its head. David Preston is at the centre of this gripping mystery drama. An ordinary decent citizen, he is caught in a waking nightmare when he returns home from work to his wife to find that 24 hours have elapsed without him even realising it. It is now a day later than he thought. As hard as he tries, he cannot recall the events of the missing day or explain away evidence that implicates him in theft and murder.
Cast: Maddie Crofts, Sam Ellis, Greg Fitch, Bridget Lambert, Karl Moffatt, Jeremy Todd, Andrew Williams
Writer – R. C. Sherriff (1896-1975)
Director and Producer – Claire Evans
Set Designer – David Fitzhugh
Lighting Designer and DSM – Marta Fossati
Costume Designer – Janet Huckle
Production Assistant – Jack Cavendish
Claire Evans in association with the RC Sherriff Trust presents
HOME AT SEVEN
Theatre at the Tabard
2 to 20 September 2025
