In “Home I’m Darling,” Jess Hughes’ real-life husband Sean Naughton is playing opposite her as her stage husband.
The house is immaculate, the martinis are chilled, and Judy’s dress is freshly pressed–just in time for her to greet her husband Johnny at the door with a smile. Life in their 1950s dream home is sweet, stylish, and carefully curated.
There’s just one catch . . . it’s not actually the 1950s.
As Judy and Johnny devote themselves to a lifestyle straight out of a vintage magazine–complete with deviled eggs, mid-century furniture, and picturesque domestic bliss–the cracks begin to show.
This delightful yet dark comedy will have Duluth Playhouse audiences laughing while also reflecting on the complexities of relationships and the risks of longing for a bygone era in the modern world. This razor-sharp, Olivier Award-winning comedy by Laura Wade pulls back the gingham curtains on one couple’s seemingly perfect life. (From Duluth Playhouse)
“‘Home, I’m Darling’” does a wonderful job of asking its audience to be engaged in these characters’ lives even after the curtain call—which I find incredibly compelling,” says director Mary Fox.
“I believe this show opens up a lifeline—or a portal, a reminder if you will—on how to reconnect, what it means to feel human, and how to rediscover love and self-worth,” Fox added. “It’s about identity, happiness, and the drastic choices we make to feel whole. How far would you go for happiness?”
Meet Jess Hughes “Home I’m Darling’s” Perfect Wife
Actress Jess Hughes is looking forward to the sharp comedic timing and emotional depth required for the role of the stereotypical 1950s sitcom housewife in this Duluth Playhouse production.
“I play Judy, a woman who’s trying to curate a perfectly controlled 1950s-inspired life, complete with vintage appliances, Chocolate Chiffon Cakes, and a conflict-free marriage—but beneath the surface, she’s grappling with questions about identity, fulfillment, and truth,” said Hughes.
“As a performer, my goal is to lean into those contradictions: to find the comedy and honor the humor of the play, while also exploring the emotional cost of trying to live a fantasy.”
‘I really love getting to work with my real-life husband on stage–we’ve been training together for almost seven years now, so we share a lot of the same vocabulary. There’s a rare and raw kind of alchemy happening—one that makes the work more honest, and hopefully, more resonant for those watching,” Hughes noted.
Hughes said, “It’s both a privilege and a feat to do a piece of realism at the NorShor Theatre. It’s a huge space to fill, and yet this play asks us to focus on the smallest cracks in a marriage—the quiet tensions, the unspoken disappointments. That contrast between the intimacy of the material and the scale of the 580-seat venue makes this a unique challenge.”
This show connects deeply to the political lens I try to bring to all my work. It asks: What does it mean to be a “good” wife or partner? Who gets to define happiness? How much of our identities are shaped by cultural nostalgia or societal expectation?” Hughes said. “These are personal questions, but they’re also political ones—and I’m drawn to the way this play blurs that line.”
Hughes’s Theatrical Path
Hughes was born in Houston, Texas, where she first fell in love with theatre—her very first play was “To Kill a Mockingbird” at Playhouse 1960. In seventh grade, her family moved to South Padre Island for her dad’s job, and she found her new community by performing in productions at Camille Playhouse.
She studied Theatre at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, earning a BA with a minor in Dance, and she also trained at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center in Connecticut.
After undergrad, she interned in the marketing department at Actors Theatre of Louisville. “I dreamed of starting my own theatre company, and someone told me I’d need administrative experience to make that dream come to fruition,” she noted.
She ended up spending five years in Austin, working both as an actor and a marketing/PR manager before heading to grad school at The Ohio State University. In 2021, she earned her MFA in Acting and the Creation of New Works.
A New Life in the Twin Ports
In the spring of 2023, Sean accepted a position as Assistant Professor and Director of Theatre at the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Jess immediately found a position as Marketing Director for the Duluth Playhouse where she has also since assistant directed and acted.
”My job as the Marketing Director at the Playhouse is really just about convincing people to experience a piece of theatre—to take a chance on a work of art that might surprise them, move them, or resonate with them in ways I can’t predict, Jess explained.
“‘It’s a mix of strategy, storytelling, and community engagement—and that combination is what I love most. I know first-hand how powerful theatre can be, and it’s a privilege to help others discover that—especially in a time when attention is pulled in a million directions.’
Since they moved to Duluth, Jess and Sean have met and befriended a whole array of artists and locals who have warmly embraced them into the community. The couple got married at The Garden in Canal Park in August of 2024, and they plan to go to France for their honeymoon this upcoming August.
Hughes added, “This summer, I will be co-directing ‘Rent’ at Zeitgeist with Mary Fox. I am so, so lucky to get to collaborate with her on these back-to-back projects.”
Duluth Playhouse presents the Minnesota premiere of “Home, I’m Darling”
Written by Laura Wade
Directed by Mary Fox
The NorShor Theatre. 211 E. Superior St., Duluth, MN
May 23 – June 1, 2025
Thursdays – Saturdays at 7:30pm
Sunday Matinees at 2pm
Audio Description: May 25 at 2pm
ASL Interpretation: May 30 at 7:30pm
Tickets are now on sale. To book seats, visit the box office at the NorShor Theatre Monday through Friday 10am-5pm, call 218-733-7555, or visit
