Happy Meal review

“Brimming with energy”

ReviewsFeb 24, 202311:45 by Paul ValeBrixton House, London

Sam Crerar and Tommi Bryson in Happy Meal at Brixton House, London. Photo: Pamela Raith

Joyful coming-of-age romcom that evolves via online gaming and social media

Following a critically acclaimed run at the Edinburgh Fringe last summer and productions at festivals in Sydney and Perth, Tabby Lamb’s Happy Meal is finally being served up in London. A charming, nostalgic tale of a blossoming online relationship, it’s an absolute joy, accentuating the positives of digital engagement and the opportunities it affords young people to find their own path.

Confidently directed by Jamie Fletcher, the play is set almost entirely in cyberspace, with updates to the technology as the years pass. Flashes of MSN and MySpace give way to TikTok via Facebook and Hotmail. These are accompanied by cheesy gaming electro-muzak and the clunk and whir of dial-up. Video designer Daniel Denton’s graphics illustrate and illuminate Lamb’s tender, insightful writing. Set designer Ben Stones presents two bizarre think-bubble booths that provide an interface of sorts where the characters communicate.

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When we first meet Bette and Alex online, it’s clear Bette is the more self-assured. Let’s face it, she has 380,000,000 coins and her penguin swaggers confidently with cat ears and a woolly scarf: Alex has some catching-up to do. But things are different IRL. Alex – later Alec – openly confides his desire to transition, a journey that takes several years and masses of determination, while Bette finds it more difficult to open up. A planned meeting at a festival sees the friendship take a misstep – but their slow-burn romance is definitely worth the wait.

Fletcher’s production is beautifully paced, brimming with energy and catching every nuance of the journey from teenage to adulthood. Sam Crerar as Alex and Tommi Bryson as Bette have a great chemistry, Crerar’s Alex is bold and expressive, wary of the real world but anxious to be out in it, while Bryson’s initial confidence as the outspoken Bette soon softens as their friendship deepens.

The dialogue matures from geeky gossip about games, bands and movies, to serious conversations about life-changing issues. Lamb articulates heartache and yearning with delicacy and authenticity, and the final encounter, complete with Happy Meal, is a perfect romcom ending.

Production Details

Production nameHappy Meal

VenueBrixton House

LocationLondon

Starts21/02/2023

Ends11/03/2023

Press night23/02/2023

Running time55mins

AuthorTabby Lamb

DirectorJamie Fletcher

Set designerBen Stones

Costume designerBen Stones