REVIEW: When We Were Us at Jack Studio Theatre 10 – 14 March 2026
‘Sorority, trust and toxic partnership’ ★★★★
This taut, all female, five hander is a powerful exploration of two things: domestic abuse and the power of female friendship.
Four women – friends from far off university days – meet for a catch-up in a pub. One of them, Brooke (Victoria Broom) is clearly troubled and we’d already seen her evincing anguish even as the audience found their seats. Her friends are worried. They don’t know what’s wrong and she won’t tell them.
Writer/director Jade Winters makes very effective use of the playing space. Stage right is the pub in the present. Stage left represents the home Brooke shares with her partner, Moira (Lottie Bell - good) and we get a series of flashbacks which gradually reveal what is actually going on. The lighting supports the dual action.
All five actors are strong with Emily Cordell as DJ perhaps having the most challenging role because her character is relatively quiet and passive. It takes a while to settle because that’s the nature of the narrative: these friends haven’t met for a while and they’re a bit awkward with one another. Katie Hamilton is warm and convincing as Kelli and Violet Grace Fink finds disdain which soon softens in Blake as she recognises what’s happening. The shared shock as they realise the situation Brooke is in is beautifully done. It’s an admirably grown-up play which isn’t afraid to use silence to allow shock to be processed.
Broom’s performance is a masterclass in acting. She truly inhabits the role of this confused, distraught, woman who has lost nearly everything – except the support of her friends. She brings a terrific sense of intensity to the role but it always feels naturalistically truthful. She is the first actor I’ve seen wiping away real tears at curtain call since I saw Sharon C Clarke in Death of a Salesman.
It’s only 60 minutes but, my goodness, this brave play packs a punch.
When We Were Us
Written and directed by Jade Winters
At Jack Studio Theatre
Photography by Simon Purse
Producer : Alex Hogben
Set Design: Livia Holbrook
Sound Design: Eva Black
Presented by Wicked Winters
Cast: Victoria Broom, Lottie Bell, Emily Cordell, Katie Hamilton, Violet Grace Fink
