(standing) Caedmon Holland, Parker Owen, Colleen Neary McClure; (sitting) Michelle Charisse, Versai Knight, Fawn Hanson Photo by

The plot follows Judy's life as a 1950s housewife in England. The audience gets a unique view into Judy's safe haven, her home. However, as financial troubles spiral into troubles in her marriage, the illusion of her perfect life is shattered, and Judy, as well as the audience, is forced to confront important questions of identity and personal values.

The cast of this production consists of six actors, including director Colleen Neary McClure playing Sylvia. The lead role of Judy is played by Fawn Hanson. Her incredible performance breathes life into the character. The audience could really empathize with her character, laughing and crying right along with her.

Judy's husband Johnny is played by Parker Owen, the perfect pairing to Hanson's Judy. Owen's performance allows the audience to feel Johnny's frustration with his situation, making the conflict all the more real to them.

The rest of the cast are equally fantastic. Versai Knight's portrayal of Fran offers the perfect amount of comedic relief for every scene she is in, not only through her words, but through her expressiveness in her body language. Caedmon Holland's portrait of Marcus is excellent, especially when his true nature is revealed and we can see his personality shift. This relatively small cast brings Judy's world to life and gives the audience a very immersive experience.

The design elements of the production are equally as impressive as the acting. The set, designed by Ryan Jason Cook, is marvelously intricate, transforming the space into a '50s home. The set is leveled, with a lower living area with couches, an antique TV, and a record player, among other small details that make it so life-like. Stage right there is a small step up to a kitchen, with an old refrigerator, cupboards, and checkered flooring. This space is full of props that allow the audience to see how Judy's life revolves around this space, from the '50s food tins to her book on housekeeping. While the lower levels are very intricate, the crown-jewel is by far the upper level. Upstage there is a staircase that leads to the bedroom, and another door that is implied to be the bathroom. The bedroom is on a platform and completely visible to the audience. The many different areas in the set allow multiple different scenes to occur at once, all in view of the audience.

The show is also very intricate from a technical perspective. This is primarily due to the large amounts of food the characters have to eat on stage. Judy's life is centered around keeping a good home, and this means she always has different food for her guests. However, this creates a big job for the crew of the show, restocking the refrigerator and cupboards with the right food at the right times, keeping the teapot full, and clearing away dirty dishes at the end of every scene. The crew does a very professional job of this, acting quickly and disappearing by the time the lights are up.

The many blackouts also serve to create one of my favorite aspects of the show, that being the dance interludes, performed by Versai Knight and Caedmon Holland. These interludes help break up the dialogue scenes, and toward the end also tell the story of the characters' relationships, all without any dialogue.

This spectacular show taps into many prevalent conversations. It lets the audience have a lens through which they can examine issues of feminism, the trad-wife movement, and women's rights. It allows them to watch as Judy's illusion of her perfect '50s life is shattered, and more importantly, watch as she struggles to rebuild her life and her scene of identity. It shows two very different value systems, through Judy and her mother Sylvia, and prompts them to ask themselves about their own values.

This show is intricately designed, vividly performed, and flawlessly executed.

Home, I'm Darling runs through September 15, 2024, at West End Productions, North Fourth Art Center, 4904 Fourth NW Albuquerque NM. For tickets and information, please visit www.westendproductions.org.