Muswell Hill

I am sure that most people have at some time in their life attended a party or family gathering where there was a mixture of normal and eccentric people and maybe a misfit or two and even a gate-crasher. The action of this play was all of this and more - in fact - it was the dinner party from hell. To make matter worse, as the first guest arrives, the husband informs his wife that he understands that she is having an affair. So the evening starts with some very difficult moments even before the assorted mix of warring characters arrive.

The husband, in this case, is a writer but without any success in having his work published. Mat (Tom Van Vliet) is being supported by his wife Jess (Lex Lake) a very well paid accountant. Their home was as one would expect from an affluent couple, very plush and with all mod cons. The action of the play took place in the kitchen and this was the very beautifully decorated and equipped room in which we saw the embarrassing and difficult conversations and awkward moments get worse throughout the party. Well done to the set builders - it was impressive.  

The first guests to arrive were Jess’s friend Karen (Cat Byrne) a garrulous person who did not listen to other people very much and a long lost university friend of Mat named Simon (Gavin O’Neill) now a self opinionated know-all especially on politics. These two were bound to clash and did so but by the time the alcohol flowed freely they tolerated each other and finally left the party together.  

The final nail in the coffin for this disastrous party was the arrival of Jess’s sister Annie (Amy Whittington) a would-be actress/singer who was infatuated by a much older womaniser friend, Tony (Anthony Leigh) whom she had also invited to the gathering. We discover that he is still married, drinks far too much and is only stringing Annie along.

The party took place in January 2010 as the news of a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, killing about 220,000 and affecting three and a half million people. This appalling news was met with the usual platitudes when disasters happen but the most important things in the the minds of those lives we encountered were their own welfare and happiness as the massive event abroad pales into insignificance.

The six actors in the Muswell Hill kitchen were so very well cast and totally believable. The dialogue just flowed naturally. Entrances, interjections and interruptions were spot-on. Congratulations to the six actors, those backstage and the creative team.

© NODA All rights reserved

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.