Review: Daniel's Husband
@ Marylebone Theatre until January 10th 2026
Director: Alan Souza
Writer: Michael McKeever
Cast: David Bedella, Luke Fetherston, Raiko Gohara, Joel Harper-Jackson & Liza Sadovy
NOTE: I originally intended to see Daniel’s Husband on January 2nd but, as a result of cast hangover sickness, that performance was cancelled. Its run at the Marylebone Theatre has also now finished so I can’t actually recommend it to anyone, unless it transfers elsewhere. Nonetheless, I have seen it and I’m nothing if not a stickler for reviewing everything I see, so here are a few quick reflections.
The title, the poster and the publicity in general are a misdirection. What presents as a frivolous drama about the trials and tribulations of American middle-class gays is in actual fact a tender, perceptive exploration of what it means to love someone, wholly and unconditionally, no matter what obstacles life puts in your way. After a cheery, humorous opening, in which the core cast of five are introduced and which perhaps intentionally hints at a story about cheating, open relationships and all the usual queer theatrical fare, the narrative takes a sudden, devastating turn that forces all of them to contend with an impossible situation.
That writer Michael McKeever is able to make this sharp shift in tone and focus work as well as he does is a testament to his character work, which is rich and layered. Each of the characters undergoes a metamorphosis that feels genuine, and the cast embrace these changes with considerable skill. Both before and after the shift, the play is unafraid to be about “issues” - absent parents, age-gap relationships, the constant anxiety that everything gay men have fought for and won can just as easily be stripped away from them - and it handles them genuinely and without ever becoming didactic. An argument early on about the “institution of marriage”, for example, feels a bit pat, but it also feels real to these characters and pays dividends later in the play.
Luke Fetherston and Liza Sadovy, who dominate much of the latter parts of the drama, are excellent as Daniel’s titular husband and mother respectively, and the breakdown in their relationship packs real pathos. Harper-Jackson, Gohara and Bedella are also strong and the five of them have an infectious, likeable chemistry that makes the situation into which they are thrown all the more tragic and gruelling. We want these characters to overcome but we know deep down that they can’t, and McKeever’s script captures that contradiction beautifully.
I confess to being surprised by just how much I enjoyed this, and I hope it transfers so I can recommend it properly!
Score: ⭐⭐⭐⭐