There’s something about watching a life unfold in just a few key moments that makes you feel like time is playing tricks on you. One second, you’re young and full of hope, the next, you’re looking back wondering where it all went. Nick Payne’s One Day When We Were Young, now at Park Theatre, captures that exact feeling with surgical precision and an emotional punch that sneaks up on you. This is a play that doesn’t just tell a love story – it lets you sit with it, feel its weight, and wonder how your own promises would hold up under sixty years of life.
It all begins in 1942, when Leonard and Violet are young, in love, and stealing one last night together before war pulls them apart. Everything feels big and full of possibility. Then we jump to 1963, where reality has reshaped those dreams into something far more complicated. By the time we reach 2002, the air is thick with the things they have and haven’t said, and the years between them feel longer than ever. It is a story of time, change, and the brutal truth that not all love stories end where they begin.
A play that proves the past is never really the past – and that the right words often come decades too late
Cassie Bradley and Barney White are exceptional, delivering performances that span a lifetime without ever feeling forced. Bradley’s Violet evolves from bright-eyed and idealistic to someone who has learned, sometimes the hard way, how to live with her choices. White’s Leonard, meanwhile, carries his regrets like an old overcoat – comfortable, familiar, and impossible to take off.
Their chemistry shifts with the years, from youthful passion to the brittle kindness of two people who know each other’s ghosts. And while this is a play that knows how to break your heart, it also remembers to make you laugh. Payne’s dialogue is sharp and full of warmth, finding humour even in the heaviest moments, because what is life if not one big, occasionally absurd, contradiction?
The staging is as clever as the writing, moving effortlessly between decades with minimal changes. The bed in the first act creates a cosy, cocoon-like space, which is stripped away in later years as the play itself becomes more exposed. The transitions between time periods are seamless, with simple but effective shifts in tone and movement, allowing the story to flow naturally across the years.
The lighting is particularly striking, subtly shifting the mood and marking time without ever feeling heavy-handed. The design choices never overwhelm the performances, instead enhancing them, allowing Payne’s writing to shine without unnecessary embellishment.
Final Thoughts ★★★★★
Would I recommend One Day When We Were Young? Without question. It is funny, devastating, and beautifully told, a reminder that some stories do not fade with time – they just wait for the right moment to be heard again. This is theatre at its most intimate, trusting its actors and script to carry the weight of the story.
And for the Queer viewers – both Bradley and White spend much of the first act in their undies, which certainly doesn’t hurt the viewing experience. White, in particular, offers what can only be described as a truly commendable six-pack, proving that heartbreak and a gym membership are not mutually exclusive.
But beyond that, this is a play about love, regret, and the way time reshapes us. Some plays shout for attention, but this one simply waits for you to lean in – and once you do, it stays with you.
Playing at Park Theatre until 22 March 2025.
Disclaimer: A complimentary ticket was provided in return for an honest and unbiased review.
