Actor, writer, presenter, comedian and two-time Olivier Award winner Griff Rhys Jones returned to Bath for the first time since the Moliere classic comedy, The Miser in the hilarious comedy; An Hour and A Half Late, playing the role of a corporate-driven husband. 

Starring in the role of Laura, is the award-winning British actress, singer and musical theatre performer Janie Dee.

Wiltshire Times: Janie Dee as Laura. By Marc Brenner.Janie Dee as Laura. By Marc Brenner.

An Hour and A Half Late shows a glimpse into married life and is a delightfully funny portrayal of the difference in attitudes a husband and wife often wrestle with.

The character of Laura has, to put it bluntly, had enough. 

She tells her husband that she cannot go to dinner, and reports that she is finding it difficult with their son having just packed his bags to go to university, and is concerned for how her two other grown-up children are finding their feet in life. As she explains to her husband, she is feeling somewhat redundant in this new chapter and is struggling to feel optimistic about their future.

Much to Peter’s dismay, the couple end up in a long conversation, as they unearth some of the true feelings they have been experiencing beneath their outwardly picture-perfect marriage. 

Wiltshire Times: Griff Rhys Jones as Peter and Janie Dee as Laura. By Marc Brenner.Griff Rhys Jones as Peter and Janie Dee as Laura. By Marc Brenner.

In a backwards and forwards debate, the couple explore what has made them unhappy over the years, reflecting modern values and toying with the idea of what it really is considered a ‘successful’ partnership.

If you like light-hearted comedy, you’ll love it.

Unpicking the wife versus husband perspective, the performance was met with lots of knowing laughs throughout, as the audience grew more invested in Laura and Peter’s weird and wonderful world.

Wiltshire Times: Griff Rhys Jones as Peter. By Marc Brenner.Griff Rhys Jones as Peter. By Marc Brenner.

Starting off merely as what appears to be Laura showing a reluctance to go out and meet their friends for dinner, her frustrations escalate as she seeks more from her husband who is at first, distracted by the restrictions of time.

The themes behind the performance are more than just couple ‘banter’, but a signal of the hardship that can come with letting go of familiarity, and entering the unknown.

Eventually, accepting the truth that their lives are being upturned by a new phase of slowing down helps them come to terms with how they are really feeling. The pair manage to connect on a basis of shared understanding of who they are and celebrate the joys of laughter and the fun in the uncertainty of what will come next for them after unravelling some of the underlying problems they have ignored for so long.