It's a rather strange concept – about 80 people quaffing down croissants and coffee in a seated spectatorial setting prior to watching five bite-sized plays.
Each performance piece was certainly digestible – at ten minutes each, the programme works well in giving scripts an airing without having to polish up a whole play. Simply perform the most promising section and see what works.
Damn Fine Morning by Trace Crawford was the stand-out – an innuendo-laden two-hander with Ben Richardson and Steve Chusak. Along with slick diction, it was well executed theatrically.
Richardson excelled himself in another piece, Bursting, which saw his character locked in a department store discussing fantasies with an unwittingly pre-destined lover, played with impassioned commitment by Jane Postlethwaite.
Two other pieces, Driven Mad and Table For One, had their moments but didn’t excite. The latter vocalised the insecurities of being single in the modern world, perceived here as a "social faux par", resulting in an admirable solo performance from Louise Fairbrother.
The last offering, Mothra Versus The Casting Director, was a rather bizarre piece written by American playwright David Bar Katz. Its highlight was Miles Mlambo playing Mothra, a creature/human hybrid caught up in the pain of the audition treadmill.
Overall, this five-course format seemed to go down well when brought to the table.
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