Forget polite drawing-room drama. Tom Wells' The Roses, receiving a triumphant revival at Hampstead Theatre, is a gloriously messy and devilishly funny excavation of a marriage on the rocks. This is a British battle of the sexes fought not with swords, but with passive-aggressive jabs, simmering resentment, and a spectacularly malfunctioning shower.
Directed with piercing insight by Tessa Walker, the play traps us in the cramped, rose-patterned bathroom of Bev and Jonathan. Over one frantic morning, as they prepare for a family wedding, their 25-year union unravels in a masterclass of comic tension and raw emotion.
Star-Studded Cast Delivers Tour-de-Force Performances
Sophie Rundle, of Peaky Blinders fame, is a revelation as Bev. She masterfully oscillates between brittle, tea-sipping propriety and volcanic eruptions of frustration, her performance a nuanced portrait of a woman who has utterly lost herself in motherhood and marriage.
Opposite her, Sam Troughton’s Jonathan is a masterpiece of comic timing and pathetic charm. His well-meaning but utterly inept attempts to fix the shower become a powerful metaphor for his failure to mend their relationship. The chemistry between them is electric, making their barbs both hilarious and heartbreaking.
More Than Just a Comedy
While the play is uproariously funny, it deftly peels back the layers to reveal the profound sadness beneath. Wells' script is a razor-sharp observation of the mundane horrors of domestic life—the silent treatments, the misplaced blame, and the terrifying quiet of a love that has curdled into habit.
The genius of the production lies in its setting. The bathroom, designed by Jemima Robinson, becomes a claustrophobic pressure cooker, a private battleground where the most intimate and brutal truths are finally flushed out.
Verdict: A five-star theatrical event. The Roses is a perfectly paced, brilliantly acted, and deeply affecting comedy that holds a cracked mirror up to every long-term relationship. It’s a devilishly good night out that will have you laughing in recognition and pondering long after the curtain falls.
