There’s something instantly comforting about The Good Life; what was a quintessentially English sitcom from the mid-1970s, has somehow managed to age without losing its charm. The Brighton Theatre Company’s 2025 production proves that good humour, like good compost, endures beautifully over time.
From the moment you arrive at the intimate Bayside theatre, it feels as though the entire suburb has joined in on the act. There’s a nostalgic hum in the air the sense that we’re going to step into another era entirely.
Director Joanne Gabriel captures that spirit perfectly. Her vision, as she notes in the program, is to let this modest stage open up two households’ side-by-side; lives caught between convention and idealism. And thanks to Robert Puksand’s clever set design, it works like magic. Seamless transitions ushered by lights and sounds, draw us effortlessly from the Goods’ chaotic self-sufficient haven to the Leadbitters’ immaculate sitting room. At one delightful moment, both homes share the stage with the lighting slicing suburban life cleanly in two. It’s theatrical sleight of hand at its most satisfying and the costumes by Deborah Fabbro were absolutely perfect.
The cast of six experienced performers deliver the comedy with timing and ease, embracing the rhythm of the original sitcom while grounding it in warmth.
Nic Ancelin and Genya Mik are utterly believable as Tom and Barbara Good, the middle-class couple whose mid-life awakening leads them to trade conformity for cabbages. Their chemistry sparkles, the banter feels lived-in and the existential line, “doing something we don’t like to buy things we don’t need,” lands with a wry relevance for today’s world.
Next door, David Robinson and Monica Greenwood as the Leadbitters are a treat as they both lean into their characters’ genteel snobbery with relish. They embody the polite panic of people clinging to appearances while chaos brews just over the fence.
Rounding out the ensemble, Andrew McAliece and Louise Gracey bring bursts of life and laughter. Gracey, in particular, steals scenes with her impeccable comic instincts, the kind of performer who can earn a laugh with a single glance or raised eyebrow.
Gabriel’s production thrives on a gentle balance between satire and affection. Although it feels like we are in the studio audience, we laugh with these characters, not at them. And as the curtain falls, we’re reminded that The Good Life isn’t just a nostalgic romp; it’s a quietly radical idea wrapped in comedy that still asks fifty years on, what it really means to live well.
If you loved the show, you’ll love this presentation. It’s warm, funny, and full of heart. A charming slice of suburban rebellion, beautifully planted and lovingly tended by Brighton Theatre Company.
