The Stage

Cooking With Elvis

Published Wednesday 7 September 2005 at 17:10 by Kevin Berry

It is good that this vigorously entertaining Hull Truck production is touring. As many theatregoers as possible should have the opportunity to see it. When it returns to Hull in late November tickets will certainly be hard to come by.

Lee Hall’s award-winning comedy sees Sean Oliver playing Elvis and giving him a respectful impersonation with few signs of impersonator excess. He has the audience roaring approval and he brings each act to a rousing climax.

The impersonator’s teenage daughter Jill partly narrates the story. She is chubby and obsessed with food. Mam brings home younger man Stuart, for her comfort, and the fun starts.

Natalie Blades is outstanding as Jill. She gives a full and true voice to Lee Hall’s sharply poignant dialogue. Her monologues have a poetical insight.

Jackie Lye as Mam and Chris Connel as Stuart give their parts vigour and raw energy - Connel’s bewilderment is a joy to see. All three handle their explicit language and their often sordid situations convincingly. No word or action is overly arkward. Indeed, when young Jill suddenly tells her Mam to “piss off” the audience is genuinely shocked.

Director Gareth Tudor Price keeps the action brisk. He has Blades, Lye and Connel providing a splendidly animated chorus for Sean Oliver’s singing. The background soundtrack of Elvis songs is occasionally overwhelming, where it should be haunting, but otherwise this is a solidly mounted production.