A well-meaning performance that forgets to trust the audience to read between the lines
As the audience enters the room, Brooke (Victoria Broom) is already on stage, seated alone on her couch with her head in her hands, the lighting isolating her in a moment of quiet distress. Before a word is spoken, it is clear that something is wrong, and that whatever has brought Brooke to this moment will unfold over the course of the evening.
The action soon shifts to a pub where Brooke reunites with four friends she met at university: DJ (Emily Cordell), Moira (Lottie Bell), Kelli (Katie Hamilton), and Blake (Violet Grace Fink). What Brooke believes to be a long-overdue catch-up carries a quieter motive for the others.
Each character occupies a clear place within the group dynamic. DJ brings an awkward sincerity to conversations; Kelli is the polished professional who tries to keep things orderly; and Blake arrives openly irritated with Brooke. These distinctions are reinforced through costume: DJ’s darker, emo aesthetic contrasts with Kelli’s sharp suit, Blake’s sleek black jumpsuit projects a guarded confidence, while Brooke’s jeans and Converse keep her visually disarmed. Moira, who appears later in the play, is dressed in relaxed sporty attire, presenting an easy, laid-back exterior.
The stage is split in two, with the pub table on one side and a living room on the other where flashbacks unfold. The dual spaces allow past and present to coexist on stage, visually reinforcing how memory intrudes on the present moment.
Running parallel to the reunion is a highly publicised celebrity domestic abuse trial, clearly echoing the 2022 media spectacle of the Depp–Heard case. As the friends debate the credibility of the alleged victim while awaiting the verdict, their own experiences begin to surface, shaping their views on relationships and abuse.
This is where When We Were Us is most ambitious, but also where it occasionally falters. The play tackles coercive relationships and the difficulty of recognising harm within intimate partnerships, a subject still rarely explored in portrayals of lesbian relationships on stage. In that sense, the intention is welcome. However, the script often delivers its message with a heavy hand. Several flashback sequences feel less like dramatic moments than illustrative examples, at times resembling training scenarios rather than organic theatre. The result is a work that frequently states its themes outright instead of allowing them to emerge more subtly through character and action.
The cast nonetheless grounds the material with committed performances. Victoria Broom anchors the play with a restrained portrayal of Brooke’s growing emotional strain. Emily Cordell captures DJ’s hesitant warmth, while Katie Hamilton’s Kelli initially appears slightly stiff before settling into the character’s controlled professionalism. Violet Grace Fink brings energy to Blake, balancing sharpness with flashes of vulnerability.
Curiously, the play concludes with an extended tirade from Moira rather than centering the voice of Brooke or her friends. Dramaturgically, this choice feels somewhat unbalanced. After spending the evening building empathy for Brooke and the support network around her, ending on the abuser’s monologue is a surprising shift in focus that leaves the emotional weight of the story in an unusual place. Moira herself appears comparatively late in the play, and her presence sometimes feels less like a necessary dramatic counterpoint and more like a device used to explicitly demonstrate the abusive dynamics at the centre of the story. Much of what her scenes convey might arguably have been communicated just as effectively, and with greater nuance, through Brooke and the group’s perspective, rather than being played out so directly on stage.
Tonally, the production feels distinctly millennial in its references, styling and soundtrack. At times this familiarity edges towards cringe, though it also carries a certain charm.
Jade Winters’ When We Were Us is ultimately a sincere production with a clear intention. Its attempt to foreground coercive dynamics within a queer relationship is important, particularly given how rarely such stories are staged. Yet the play’s tendency toward overt messaging means its themes often feel delivered rather than discovered. Even so, the strength of the performances and the relevance of the subject ensure it remains a thoughtful, relevant and engaging, if uneven, piece of theatre.
When We Were Us runs until Saturday 14th March at Brockley Jack Studio Theatre, London.