Frantic twenty-first century middle class professionals, says Lucinda Coxon’s acerbic new comedy, are in danger of becoming islands of anxiety, never quite taking the time to accommodate each other or to define the happiness they seek.
Women, of course, are in the vanguard - high-achieving in the workplace but still taking most of the responsibility for the generations above (sick, ageing parents) and below (ballet-dancing, football-playing, story-consuming children).
Charity executive Kitty is equally adept at addressing a conference on the subject of cancer research and fashioning a flouncy bride cake for her daughter’s birthday party. Meanwhile, her marriage to Johnny, who has left the commercial world to find fulfilment as a teacher, is beginning to fall between the cracks. Happiness, despite all the components being in place, remains elusive. Their friends, bitter alcoholic (and hilarously un-pc) Miles, his vacuous but earnest wife Bea and ever-reliable gay Carl, provide more challenges than support. Kitty’s conference encounters with Michael, a lumpy sexual opportunist, give her a different perspective on her rushed life.
Coxon’s writing is sharp, funny, bitchy and often on the button, although Kitty’s martyr mother (played with glorious relish by Anne Reid) veers into cartoon territory.
The whole cast in Thea Sharrock’s beautifully paced production is absolutely spot-on, from Olivia Williams’ sympathetic, intelligent, yearning Kitty to Dominic Rowan’s desperate Miles and Stanley Townsend’s paunchy, worldly-wise Michael.
We laugh, we wince with recognition and even come away with a smidgen of optimism. Kitty and co may not discover the purpose of life, but at least they learn to find a bit of space for each other.
Production information can change over the run of the show.
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