Play review by Michael Mussell: ‘The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband’ at Bridlington Spotlight Theatre

The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband is running until Sunday, November 6. For more information and to buy tickets go to https://www.bridspa.com/events/?entry=spx_382003

Spotlight Theatre is currently presenting ‘The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband’ – a play consisting of a cast of three as they performed events leading up to the dinner shared between a man, his ex-wife, and his current wife.

Directed by Joan Sanders, the play opens with a brilliant Silhouette of Sasha Walker-Allen as Hillary.

She is poised on a tabletop, ranting to the audience, and rising to a crescendo of anger, about her husband having left her.

When all three of the cast are sat at the dinner table together, we begin to see the dysfunction played out with both melodrama and comedy, as ex-wife and wife battle to prove their worth for a husband who is indecisive.

There is a building suspension as Hillary announces their unseen dinner is to be a surprise, and as the two women continue to duel with their wits on who is the better wife.

Played by Shania Withey, Laura is Kenneth’s present wife, and begins bad mouthing Hillary and questioning Kenneth, played by Graham Beeston.

From small jokes between the ex-lovers, to his preference and obsession with food, Laura feels more the victim than Hillary, as she fights back with snide and pleas to leave.

Hillary’s passive-aggressive assault cumulates in the scene change as Kenneth’s favourite Elvis track is played, and Graham gifts the audience with a pleasant but short dance impression.

Though this is only a fraction of act one, there is much to be said for the capabilities of the performers.

Despite having only three actors on stage at once, never once does the stage feel empty.

They bring the play to life with a variety of emotions, expressions, and their dramatic, if not believable, portrayal of the dialogue. At some moments the play will throw you jokes, and in other moments it feels like staring through someone’s window into their very real lives.

There is a brilliant use of lighting as Laura and Kenneth argue to the side of the stage and their shadows are cast into the centre, bold and black against the green backdrop. Green is ever-present as jealousy and lies mire the unfolding plot.

Without giving anything away, act two is just as brilliantly paced with jokes and emotion and drama, as the characters continue to develop into the people we saw sat around the table at the very beginning.

The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband is running until Sunday, November 6.

For more information and to buy tickets go to https://www.bridspa.com/events/?entry=spx_382003

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