The Kitchen Sink

Tom Wells’  play  is highly acclaimed although seemingly rarely performed on the amateur stage. Having said that it is certainly well written about an everyday family in the north of England around 2012; their trials, tribulations and dreams all wrapped up with a beautiful sense of love and comedy.

The Gallery Studio is a small and intimate theatre which is perfect for this type of play all set in the family kitchen.   The set itself had been very well constructed with a working sink, cooker and fridge along with all the normal fitted kitchen  cupboards and a multitude of props and food. I say a working sink although that is not quite true as the kitchen sink was just one of the problems that was constantly going wrong. Whether it be getting blocked, with an intermittent supply of water and then a jet of water being sprayed all over the kitchen itself from a faulty joint. It also had to withstand being constantly hit with a hammer when it went wrong.  Then there was the moment when the cakes got burnt, and on opening the oven door there was a cloud of smoke setting off the fire alarm. Who hasn’t tried to stop it by waving the tea towel at it!! No mean feat for all that to happen on cue!!  This certainly gave Dave Borthwick and the production team lots to organize and well done to them all for achieving the desired effects.  

This small and very highly talented cast certainly gave their all in capturing the emotions of this family perfectly. Samantha Horsfield is the mother, Kath, who is desperately trying to keep the family on a level path and wanting what is best for them all. She shows love, compassion and tenderness one minute and desperation the next as things keep going wrong. A brilliant performance filled with so much emotion and good facial expressions. Phil Cory is her husband Martin,  a milkman who is determined to carry on with his business despite things continually going wrong with his milk float. He is on a downward spiral as he loses his customers to the supermarkets because of the downturn with milk deliveries.  He tries to face facts that ultimately his business will fail and then what can he do to support his family. Phil excellently captures his character, a typical Northerner with his struggles and dreams.

Dan Moore is Billy who gives a very sensitive portrayal as the son who is insecure and nervous but with an energy once he lets himself go. He is desperate to get into art college, but needs encouragement from Kath, his mother, to venture out into the world and follow his dreams. He gets there only to find he does not fit in with the other college students and returns home as his dreams are dashed. He has a special understanding with Kath as they share tender and comical moments together. Rebecca Hutchison plays Sophie, her daughter. She excellently portrays independence and a stubbornness to tread her own path in life and will not tolerate being put down by men.  She runs a  Ju-Jitsu class and inspires the young girls in her class to give them confidence to go forward, but things do not work out for her and she gives up her class to go and work with her dad on his milk round. Glyn Lee as Pete, again another poignant performance, revealing his own insecurities as he tries to help Sophie but his affections are not reciprocated despite all his efforts. He is a plumber and is constantly around trying to help mend the broken sink. He has a good relationship with Kath who tries to help him especially after he loses his Granny and there is great humor together as they smoke some of his Gran’s ‘pot’.  He buys himself a pink van (because they are cheaper!) in his attempts to prove to Sophie that he can look after her but she still is not interested.

This was just a year in the life of this family and the whole cast gelled brilliantly together throughout all their dramas and emotions.  I particularly liked the ‘moments’  Steve Wooldridge had captured in the tableaus  at the end of each scene as the lights gradually fade and you saw the raw emotions of each character being played out.  It all had great timing but the pace was never lost.

The lighting, sound and costumes were all just perfect to transport the audience back to this family kitchen in 2012 for a couple of hours. We were gradually drawn into sharing the emotions of this family without ever realizing it until the end.   Very clever writing and portrayals. Well done to Steve Wooldridge and all his wonderful cast and crew for another brilliant show.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.