**Marylebone Theatre • 4th Dec ‘25 - 10 Jan ‘26**

It’s not often that the need to write a review with such deliberately limited exposition has been so keenly felt by this reviewer, but to guarantee that anyone curious enough, (and you should be), to see Daniel’s Husband off the back of this review won’t have their experience spoilt in any way, I will be choosing my words particularly carefully in the hope that the full impact of the story that unfolds on stage won’t be diminished as the result of a careless spoiler. That leaves me somewhat limited in my ability to wax quite as lyrically, or indulge in the sort of forensic detail I might have otherwise wanted to about this production, suffice to say that the impeccable performances from this incredible cast ensure that you will still be thinking about Michael McKeever’s emotionally charged play long after you leave the theatre.

This is the second of Michael McKeever’s plays to get its UK debut this year, the first being the excellent ‘The Code’. (Jack The Lad ★★★★★ - review here). That play had taken three years to reach these shores, whereas it seems to have taken a bit longer for Daniel’s Husband to have made the same journey, having been premiered Off-Broadway in 2017. Despite the delay, the subjects that this play covers, and the themes it finds itself addressing are themselves timeless, and neither have lost any of their impact during the intervening years.

The Daniel of the play’s title is an architect, (Joel Harper-Jackson), who has curated a wonderful life for himself complete with a successful career and a stylish apartment. (a wonderful set from Justin Williams whose work I admired during 2024’s English language premiere of Your Lie In April at the Harold Pinter Theatre. (Jack The Lad ★★★★★- review here). He also has a loving seven year relationship with his partner, successful author of ‘literary bubblegum’ Mitchell (Luke Fetherston) who, despite the plays title, is not actually Daniel’s ‘husband’, it being revealed early enough in the proceedings, (and therefore not a spoiler), that he is fundamentally opposed to the whole concept of marriage, especially gay marriage, preferring instead to be ‘unique in a world of normal’. It is clearly a bone of contention that has plagued the couples otherwise near perfect partnership, especially given that particular conversation has repeatedly resurfaced, yet has stubbornly remained unresolved. We get to witness the most recent of these conversations for ourselves during the plays opening, a dinner party with friend, (and Mitchel’s literary agent), Barry (David Bedella), who has brought his latest, and noticeably younger new partner, Trip, (Raiko Gohara), along with him. “Another three weeks and you’ll have kicked him to the curb”, Mitchell correctly predicts to Barry.

It’s through similar dinner-party banter that each of the characters personalities are skilfully sketched out during the light hearted opening of this tight 90 minute play, McKeever clearly having it in his skillset to convey the core characteristics of those assembled on stage quickly and efficiently, and so it is that we also learn that Daniel’s successes have all come about through those parts of his life he is in complete control of. However, cracks begin to appear in this otherwise enviable life due to situations he can’t so easily control, the first being his inability to win Mitchel around to his way of thinking regarding his desire to marry, that has only grown stronger with every passing year. The second part of his life seemingly not of his control is the relationship with his overbearing mother, Lydia who, through Liza Sadovy’s pitch perfect portrayal, could clearly teach a masterclass in passive-aggressive behaviour. To use her own words, she’s “a piece of work!”, and her unfiltered disparaging remarks about her deceased husband, Daniels father, only add to an increasing sense of loss, betrayal and helplessness, all themes that will resurface as the play pivots in a totally unexpected direction, a change in circumstances bringing with it a potential lifetime of regret.

Joel Harper-Jackson’s portrayal of Daniel is a tour-de-force from the actor I first saw perform in 2018 playing Tom in Gus Gowland’s musical Pieces Of String. With several noteworthy performances since, (including M in Marianne Elliot’s production of C O C K, and Harry in Standing At The Sky’s Edge), in Daniel’s Husband the script gifts him with not just one, but two of the most memorable entrances I have seen at the theatre for a while, rising effortlessly to the challenges of both. Well matched with Luke Fetherston as his longtime partner, the pair are also able to take the audience on a journey that runs through a wide gamut of emotions. These two main characters aside, a special shout out also goes to Raiko Gohara as Trip who, on the surface, is there in response to the developing and changing situations of the characters around him, yet his is a beautifully subtle performance filled with nuance and acutely observed mannerisms that elevate his character far beyond what it might have been in another actors hands.

As a one act play consisting of six scenes spanning a number of months, director Alan Souza deftly manages to negotiate both the passage of time, and the emotional gear change at the heart of this production, whilst never loosing site of the need for character and tonal continuity throughout. It’s strange to want to refer to this production as ‘highly enjoyable’, considering the emotional rollercoaster ride it takes you on, but then that is exactly what great theatre should be capable of doing, and that’s exactly what Daniel’s Husband is.

★★★★★