I Know My Husband Loves Me at Union Theatre
Married life suits mental health support worker Trish Mott (Lia Burge) and her radical left-wing activist of a husband Alistair (Shane Noone), whose relationship is now stronger than it has ever been following the pair’s delicate foray into the realm of parenthood. But all this is about to change when Papa Mott makes the shocking revelation that he is in fact an undercover cop, and that his real name is Vernon. Igniting a web of gut-wrenching lies which threaten to jostle the carefully woven bond between the pair, Trish must now decide whether it’s worth trusting Vernon again or if it’s best to walk away from the marriage altogether.
The grounds of Union Theatre have been transformed into a fast-paced, politicised family drama with the arrival of I Know My Husband Loves Me, a production whose narrative is based upon a series of real-life events occurring in 2012, whereby several police officers had, due to the nature of their occupation, hidden their actual identities from their spouses and children for years before coming clean. The show chronicles the tale of this particular couple in vignettes, from the moment Alistair unveils his gross misconduct to the piece’s challenging denouement, providing a delicate portrayal of a life finely webbed in lies.
With a minimalistic set, designed to separate the duo’s professional life from their personal one, the trajectory of their relationship too is measured, in peaks and troughs, through the good times and the bad. The performers excel at maintaining the emotional arc of continuity as they ripple back and forth from flashbacks to flash-forwards, and as a result, make their audience members feel wholly invested in each one of their journeys. A special mention must go to the talented Sianad Gregory for her role as Trish’s pragmatic yet scheming friend and confidante, Blair, the actress portraying the part with so much conviction that it provides much of the narrative’s food for thought: are we generally too trusting of others?
Ghazaleh Golpira
I Know My Husband Loves Me is at Union Theatre from 17th June until 22nd June 2019. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.
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