Following the success of Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon, Rosie Day returns with new dark comedy, (This Is Not A) Happy Room, currently playing at the King’s Head Theatre before transferring to Theatre Royal Windsor. This dissection of familial dysfunction is served with biting humour and moments of poignancy.
Directed by Hannah Price, the production comes with an exceptional cast and a razor sharp script that carefully balances absurdity with emotional depth. The story revolves around the Hendersons, a family reuniting for their father’s third—or is it fourth?—wedding. What begins as a celebration quickly spirals into tragedy when the wedding unexpectedly becomes a funeral.
Day’s writing cleverly exploits this premise for both laughs and pathos, giving us a narrative that feels simultaneously relatable and absurd. The play is filled with witty one-liners and farcical situations that make us ponder, could Rosie Day be the 21st Century’s Joe Orton?. But beneath the laughs, there is an interesting commentary on grief, family dynamics, and the way in which we navigate the unpredictability of life.
Amanda Abbington shines as Esther, the matriarch whose sardonic wit masks deep-seated frustrations. Her performance is layered and compelling, capturing both the comedic and tragic elements of her character. Rosie Day herself takes on the role of Elle, delivering a nuanced portrayal of a young woman grappling with her place in this chaotic family. Jonny Weldon as Simon provides much of the comic relief, his impeccable timing elevating even the most absurd moments. Andrea Valls makes an impressive professional stage debut as Laura, bringing charm and vulnerability to her role.
The supporting cast—Jazz Jenkins (Hayley), Tom Kanji (Charles), and Alison Liney (Agatha)—round out the ensemble with strong performances that add texture to the Hendersons’ dysfunction. Liney’s portrayal of Agatha is particularly noteworthy; making her professional debut at 84, she brings warmth and hilarity to the stage.
Hannah Price’s direction ensures that Day’s script mostly lands effectively. The pacing does tend to wander somewhere around the middle, and some scenes feel more like filler than serving any purpose of plot progression.
Georgia de Grey’s set design cleverly transforms the King’s Head Theatre’s intimate space into a dank Blackpool hotel function room that doubles as a funeral venue, underscoring the play’s themes of repurposing life’s unexpected turns.
Despite being laugh out loud funny, the play seems to struggle to find a natural conclusion; the last few scenes feeling like they are trying to tie up loose ends that don’t exist. Some gentle pruning of the script would have made this a much tighter production.
That said, (This Is Not A) Happy Room is more than just a comedy; it’s dives deep in to how families cope—or don’t—with change, loss, and each other. Rosie Day has crafted a play that is as hilarious as it is heartfelt, proving once again her prowess as both writer and performer.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
