REVIEW: What I Really Think of My Husband: Thomas Hardy and His Wives at Golden Goose Theatre 21 Nov - 2 Dec 2023

‘A talented cast that shines … choreography that shimmers as time and place shift effortlessly, there is a fluidity of language and motion and ideas.’ ★★★★

Thomas Hardy (performed by the inimitable Edmund Dehn) is one of Britain’s most revered novelists and my personal literary hero. David Pinner’s lyrical and literary piece does a valiant job at giving us an understanding of Hardy’s later life, with glimpses of his youth.

The 45-minute first act sets the stage for understanding the characters, both past and present, and particularly Hardy’s penchant for the ladies as well as the shift in the marital relationship between Hardy (often referred to as T.H. and his long-time wife, Emma (Laura Fitzpatrick). Two younger lovers, Tom and Emma, (Aliya Silverstone & Andrew Crouch) show the bloom of youthful love with earnestness, in parallel to the couple’s marriage troubles including the lack of much-desired children in their home. TH had become a man of contradictions over time. While convincing a young lady to question the sacrosanct beliefs of the Church, such as not coveting another man’s wife, Hardy was actively ignoring his wife, an ardent Christian and Suffragette.

The pacier second act burns brightly as the lyrical and poetic style of the piece continues, but now things really come to a head upon the appointment of Florence Dugdale (Isabella Inchbald) in the house and the real division between the older couple. The beauty of the comedic lines in this piece is that they are often spoken by the women in this play, and it is Emma who really gets the laughs, even making chilling jokes about morphine in the sherry. There are, of course, references to the renowned novels, from debates about the nature of the young girl Tess (innocent or harlot?) and the contemporary joke of referring to Jude the Obscure (often considered somewhat autobiographical) as Jude the Obscene.

With a talented cast that shines, and choreography that shimmers as time and place shift effortlessly, there is a fluidity of language and motion and ideas. Each actor brings their light to bear on this show and create an orchestral captivation. The simple, shifting set, and haunting music work beautifully with these performers.

They say it’s best not to meet one’s heroes and perhaps for good reason. Hardy’s flaws are not softened in Pinner’s show. According to Claire Tomalin’s comprehensive biography, Thomas Hardy: Time-Torn Man, “[Hardy] said he was prouder of his poetry than of any of his prose, even of his great novels, because he felt that in all the novels there was an element of compromise.” He clearly was not a man of compromise, and this becomes clear in his relationship with his wife. Yet, TH had redemption, though too late for his wife to enjoy his embraces. In reading Emma’s journal, ‘What I Really Think of My Husband’, he confronted his short-comings as a husband. Emma becomes a spectral vision in his mind, haunting him, eventually to be immortalized in his Poems 1912-13.

What I really think of Thomas Hardy has changed after learning more about him. It is Emma for whom I have developed the greatest admiration. Perhaps in meeting your heroes, one discovers that it is often the people around them who truly make them.

Photography credit: Tim Stubbs Hughes at Grey Swan

What I Really Think of My Husband: Thomas Hardy and His Wives

By David Pinner

Golden Goose Theatre

21 November - 2 December 2023

Box Office: https://www.goldengoosetheatre.co.uk/whatson/what-i-really-think-of-my-husband

Performed by Edmund Dehn, Laura Fitzpatrick, Isabella Inchbald, Aliya Silverstone, Andrew Crouch

Directed by Julia Stubbs

Lighting Designer: Chuma Emembolu

Musical Director: Faith Taylor

Scenic Artist: Zoe Bridger

Produced by Sarah Lawrie for And Tomorrow Theatre Company

Reviewed by Mariam Mathew