‘Home, I’m Darling’ at Cabrillo Playhouse

OC Theatre Guild
Apr 30
4 min read

Updated: May 1

A picture-perfect 1950s dream, a life styled to perfection, and the moment the fantasy starts to slip.

From left: Mary Price Moore, Shane Murphy, Jeremy Krasovic, Taylor LaBarbera, Sarah Jane Fince, Charlie Massey. Photo courtesy of Cabrillo Playhouse

By MaryAnn DiPietro

At first glance, it looks like perfection. But in “Home, I’m Darling” at Cabrillo Playhouse, that polished facade is only the beginning.

In a production that leans into both nostalgia and nuance, director Hillary Pearson invites audiences into a world that feels charmingly familiar until it begins to unravel.

Pearson’s journey to this production is deeply rooted in both artistry and community. “I have a BA in theater from UCLA, and after that I ran a nonprofit theater program for high schools, which is actually how I met Michael Lopez, who choreographed all of my musicals at the time,” she explains. After stepping away for a period to focus on family care, she found her way back to the theater. “When I got back into theater, Michael, Cabrillo’s producing artistic director, encouraged me to get involved at Cabrillo. I’ve been on the board for about five years now, was vice president for a couple of years, and president since August.” In addition to her work at Cabrillo, Pearson also works in the education department at Laguna Playhouse and with No Square Theatre.

From left: Jeremy Krasovic, Taylor LaBarbera. Photo courtesy of Cabrillo Playhouse

It was a striking first impression that drew her to “Home, I’m Darling.“

“Another theater was advertising the show, and I was immediately hooked by the artwork and the title,” she says. “Then I did a little more research, read the script, and completely fell in love with it.”

As a member of Cabrillo’s play selection committee, she helped bring the piece forward and then took it one step further. “I applied to direct it as well, and I was thrilled to get the opportunity. The script is amazing, and the cast is incredible. The turnout for auditions was great, and what’s really interesting is that every actor in the show is new to Cabrillo,” she notes. “Some of them have worked together elsewhere, but this is a completely new blend of energies here, and it’s such an outstanding group.”

Visually, the world of the play is meticulously crafted. “The ‘trad wife’ concept is something we’re really exploring, along with gender roles, marriage dynamics and workplace expectations,” Pearson says. “I’ve loved collaborating with the set and costume designers because everything has to align so specifically. The set and costumes really become their own characters.” The production leans heavily into its 1950s aesthetic, using it not just as a backdrop but almost as a character itself.

From left: Mary Price More, Taylor LaBarbera. Photo courtesy of Cabrillo Playhouse

Pearson has chosen the music very carefully for this production. “There are moments in every scene that resonate with me, and I’ve created a playlist for each transition,” she shares. “Music really helps establish the time period, and each scene feels almost like its own TV episode. It’s a little WandaVision-inspired; it’s cute and polished, and then all of a sudden it starts to crumble. You don’t expect it.” That episodic structure creates a rhythm for the show and helps establish that nostalgic flair.

What excites her most is not just the process but the audience’s response. “I’m really excited to see it all come together,” she says. “There’s no clear ‘good guy’ or ‘bad guy’ in this story, and I think people’s personal experiences will really shape how they interpret it.” She notes that reactions may vary widely depending on perspective. “Someone who lived through the 1950s might experience it very differently than someone younger. It really makes you think about what ‘traditional’ means, the good and the bad.”

From left: Sarah Jane Finch, Charlie Massey. Photo courtesy of Cabrillo Playhouse

“I want audiences to recognize the layers in the piece, that there’s so much more than what you see at first,” Pearson explains. “There’s always something beneath the surface. Don’t judge the show by its first scene, and don’t judge a book by its cover.” It’s an invitation to engage more deeply, to consider not only the characters onstage but also one’s own perspectives. “Each character has their own journey, and I’m curious to see who audiences connect with the most.”

At its heart, “Home, I’m Darling” tells the story of Judy and Johnny, a couple who have chosen to fully embrace a 1950s lifestyle. “Everything seems shiny, clean and perfect at first,” Pearson says, “but as the play unfolds, we start to see how that idealized world interacts with reality and how it affects everything. Each scene peels something back, and it’s really fascinating to watch it unfold.”

And that may be exactly the point. Because beneath the polished surfaces and picture-perfect smiles lies something far more complex: a story that gently, and sometimes sharply, asks us to reconsider not just the past but the ways we choose to shape our present.