Writers: James Alexandrou, Kate Kelly Flood and Dominic Morgan
Director: James Alexandrou
Actors East Theatre’s debut show makes a bang just like the exploding casserole on its poster. The team of young actors, writers and creatives bring to life a piece of work that leaves some members of the audience crying by the end. A relationship, troubled by fear of vulnerability and expression, shakes us on several occasions as a secret is revealed.
The plot revolves around Kate and Dom (played by Kate Kelly Flood and James Alexandrou) who find themselves on a stormy night inside their messy flat arguing about the past. From the get-go it is clear Kate is the breadwinner yet not quite wearing the trousers in their relationship. This is a modern couple where both parties raise their voice, maybe at times a little more than necessary for the audience to get the message, and yet they often fail to hear each other. Nonetheless, we are bound to empathise more with Kate, right up until nearly the end of the play which strangely brings things back to balance. Two souls grieving for a parent’s death, missed opportunities to say goodbye, fear and a white lie; we soon understand the messy flat is a portrayal of the very human mess inside these people’s hearts.
Both actors’ performances are on point with well-paced reactions and fully-filled pauses. The cold opening and kitchen set behind the seats offer an opportunity for more engagement with the story as the actors move around. The intimacy of the black box helps with that, but what draws the audience even more into what we learn is Kate’s flat is the clever set design which goes as far as the backstage room. Lighting and sound don’t contribute largely apart from the occasional thunderstorm and this seems fair for such a dialogue-intense show. A tribute to Tina Turner at the end is a nice touch, although a slight misunderstanding about the song suddenly feels like Alexandrou is slipping out of character.
This is a well-rounded contemporary play with a large pinch of bitterness taken in with the help of comedy and some leftover signs of love among the ruins.
Runs until 27 May 2023
