Writer: Julia Pagett
Director: Luke Adamson
Stitch in Time, written by Julia Pagett and directed by Luke Adamson, sets out to examine generational divides, evolving gender roles and the quiet emotional fractures that shape family relationships. The intention is thoughtful, but the execution rarely rises above the familiar.
Pagett’s script follows two generations navigating love, expectation and miscommunication. It explores how small decisions and missed moments can ripple across years, shaping identities and relationships in ways the characters only gradually understand.
The themes themselves are recognisable territory: strained parent–child relationships, changing definitions of masculinity, and the weight of inherited emotional habits. While these ideas remain relevant, the play rarely finds a fresh angle on them. Much of the narrative unfolds through well-worn dramatic beats that feel predictable rather than revelatory.
The central character proves a particular obstacle. Written with a brittle edge that is intended to signal emotional damage, she is difficult to engage with, and the audience is left observing rather than investing in her journey. The dramatic stakes consequently struggle to land with the force the script intends.
The cast works diligently with the material. Joshua Glenister, Jonathan Kemp and Rowena Bentley each bring moments of warmth and credibility that help ground the production, while Pagett’s own performance is true to the intentions of the script, but unfortunately, it’s that which ultimately limits the performances.
Adamson’s direction keeps the production moving at a steady pace within the intimate confines of the Drayton Arms Theatre. The staging is clean and uncluttered, allowing the actors space to explore the relationships at the heart of the play.
There is clearly sincerity in the play’s attempt to examine how people struggle to communicate across generational and emotional divides. Yet sincerity alone is not always enough, and ultimately, Stitch in Time feels competent enough but unremarkable.
Runs until 7 March 2026 and continues to tour
