Writer: Lynn Nottage
Director: Lynette Linton
The play starts with a mesmerising moment: a chef delicately sprinkles salt over a delicious-looking sandwich. Accompanied by Duramaney Kamara’s flavoursome music, this immediately immerses the audience in the visual culinary language of the narrative and the politically- charged diner setting.
Within Clyde’s diner, Leticia, Rafael, and Jason, all formerly incarcerated, find themselves working as chefs, their last resort after being shunned by society. They make sandwiches. Why sandwiches? As Montrellous puts it so eloquently, they are more than just a complete meal; they are democratic and invite collaboration, mirroring the characters’ journeys.
However, the heat of the kitchen, similar to a prison yard, becomes the place where everyone sizes up each other and where personal histories are scrutinised. Giles Terera’s interpretation of the spiritual Montrellous is awe-inspiring. His character’s mission is to instil peace, urging the others to momentarily escape the chaos of the outside world and envision their perfect sandwich. Through their creative exchanges, they cultivate not only hope for their culinary skills but also for freedom, redemption, and self-forgiveness.
Gbemisola Ikumelo’s fierce portrayal of Clyde stands in their way as the formidable antagonist who continually reminds them that leaving prison doesn’t mean being free from it. Patrick Gibson’s Jason showcases a heart-wrenching moment where he breaks down under the weight of their unsympathetic reality. The ensemble excels in maintaining impeccable comedic timing and engages us through the sparky relationships between them.
Lynn Nottage’s writing gets straight to the point through the no-nonsense characters and employs food as a universal language to convey profound metaphors about life. The individual character journeys reflect the choices we all face and, more importantly, how we grapple with the consequences of those choices.
Frankie Bradshaw’s hyper-realist set design provides a new home for these reformed criminals and Oliver Fenwick’s lighting masterfully mixes the strip lighting and LED to transform the space from realism to dynamic movement pieces. No more is this seen than when the warmly uplit faces of the characters accentuate the significance of their culinary tasks.
Ultimately, the play really shows that the sandwich, like each of the character’s lives, is what you make of it. It serves as a powerful reminder that life is really about how we forgive the past and our determination to shape our own narratives. Clyde’s delves deep into the human experience and emphasises the transformative power of collaboration and unity.
Runs until 2 December 2023
The Reviews Hub Score
Powerful and moving
