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7 July 2026
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3***
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The life and works of Daphne du Maurier have always held a fascination. As seen in Rosie Race’s new play, it has been the case since she first burst into the literary world and continues to this day. ’Daphne’ is subtitled ‘The Secret Lives of Daphne du Maurier’ – I am not sure whether there are new revelations here, but biographies, written since her death in 1989, have devoted many pages to the complexities and anxieties of the author of ‘Rebecca’, ‘Jamaica Inn’ and ‘The Birds’.
In a real tour de force of a performance, Emma Stansfield is exhaustingly impressive as Daphne, a muscular and dynamic performance, which, in the incredibly hot and airless auditorium, was exhausting to watch let alone act. Taking the central character through the years from childhood to the end of her life, Stansfield has boundless energy and achieves an arc which is pleasing to follow. The relationship between Daphne and her Father, the eminent man of the theatre, Gerald du Maurier, is the real crux of the piece – each, seemingly, obsessed by the other to both their detriments. William Mannering is wonderfully theatrical in the role and exudes jealousy and distain with abandon.  Tristan Beint offers Tommy Browning a dignity, a calmness in the face of Daphne’s chaos – he provides some really emotional and touching moments which the play, as a whole, lacks. Danielle Bird treats the audience to an array of roles – which she portrays with great skill – not least as two characters who Daphne is attracted to; Ellen Doubleday and Gertrude Lawrence. The introduction of well known people into a story is where problems can arise; all too often they can become ciphers for the actual person. In the case of Lawrence, there is some depth to her appearance in the tale, but with only a brief appearance, the Noel Coward cannot achieve a great deal. When it comes to the ludicrous caricature of Alfred Hitchcock, it demeans the script and the great film director in one go – suddenly ,what starts out as a serious play, plumbs the depths.
The story is at its best when investigating how Daphne created her stories, which forms a major part of the narrative, but it would have been really interesting to hear more about the plagiarism accusations; unless I missed something, we never hear who brought the case and what the actual complaint was – it seemed to be glossed over. The struggles Daphne underwent when trying to deal with her sexuality is given just the right amount of time without going on about it too much, however, the constant references to her male alter-ego, Eric, did eventually become just a little tiresome.
As portrayed in the play, Daphne du Maurier is difficult to like and any emotional connection with her just doesn’t exist. When the play ends, yes, you may have learned some more about the great writer, but any feelings for her are admiration for the works, but a coldness for the person.
The cast of four work tirelessly, not least Emma Stansfield, and the action is played out on a wonderfully realised multi-level set by Laura McEwen, with cupboards, windows built into the bookshelves and nooks. An array of blank books provide a backdrop which doubles as a projection screen for the good videos. Lighting is well planned and the soundscape is blended well with the music composed by Zaid Al Ribaki. The quality of the production values is very high.
Director, Martin Berry, keeps the scenes moving swiftly and easily, but maybe it was the heat in the theatre, but it just felt too long.
This is a really interesting production with much to admire, but it lacks heart and the noted issues with the script and story affect the whole.
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Cast
Tristan Beint – Tommy Browning, Nelson Doubleday, Noel Coward
Danielle Bird – Gertrude Lawrence, Ellen Doubleday, Tod
William Mannering – Gerald du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock
Emma Stansfield – Daphne du Maurier
Creatives
Writer/Associate Director – Rosie Race
Director – Martin Berry
Set and Costume Design – Laura McEwen
Sound Design – Dinah Mullen
Video Design – Nick Laws
Lighting Design – Marcus Bartlett
Composer – Zaid Al Rikabi
Image – Craig Fuller
