Michael McKeever’s play opens with a long-established gay couple hosting a friend and the latest young man he is dating. The alcohol and the banter are flowing, and we seem to be in familiar comedic territory until an argument breaks out over gay marriage. Mitchell, a writer and Daniel’s partner, considers marriage an unnecessary, heteronormative expression of commitment. The remainder of the play is about Mitchell, and the audience, learning the importance of the institution of marriage for gay couples. Despite some clever dialogue and some good character development, this work is mainly didactic, and when Daniel falls ill, there is an uneasy sense of emotional manipulation which accompanies the lesson that we are being taught. The play also glosses over the truly formidable realities faced by caregivers when a partner develops a chronic condition. In this world both Mitchell and Daniel’s mother are affluent enough to argue over who will assume responsibility for his care without having to confront the difficult compromises that most families face. As the play presses a point that has already been accepted by much of the audience, Daniel’s Husband can feel dated as well as simplistic. At times it approaches the kind of sentimental gay romantic trope that at one point Mitchell ruefully claims to write. That being said, Joel Harper-Jackson delivers a nuanced and compelling performance as Daniel, even though the character’s overbearing mother and distant father evoke hints of cliché, and Luke Fetherston creates a lot of empathy for Mitchell. David Bedella brings a crisp energy to the role of Mitchell’s sardonic, yet caring, agent, Barry, while Raiko Gohara is utterly charming as the gentle natured, but somewhat vacuous, young healthcare worker, Trip. Daniel’s Husband is thoughtfully produced, and it makes an important argument. However, one leaves the theatre with a feeling that under the obvious message about the importance of gay marriage, there is a rich, emotional terrain and some complex social issues which were neither explored nor developed.
Rated: ★★★
Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Craig Fuller
When, Where, Getting there:
%20and%20Clive%20Owen%20(Alfie)%20in%20End%20at%20the%20National%20Theatre.%20Photographer%20Marc%20Brenner%2003422.jpg)
,%20Marianne%20Jean-Baptiste%20(Kate%20Keller),%20Hayley%20Squires%20(Ann%20Deever)%20and%20Paapa%20Essiedu%20(Chris%20Keller).%20Photo%20Jan%20Versweyveld.jpg)
%20Johan%20Persson.jpg)
