Marcus Tuckwell (Fabian Bevan) is a down-and-out food critic (with more than a passing resemblance to a young Julian Barrett) who was jokingly declared dead at the Annual Writer’s Awards. While opining on his meaningless life, his PR Angie (Emily Cairns), lets him in on a huge industry secret – The Loiseau.
This closely guarded secret award is issued to reviewers who write a review so foul that it causes the chef to commit suicide. While dining at the appalling Jezzer’s (Sam Scruton), Tuckwell sees his chance at a career comeback.
The play descends into acerbic chaos, with generous servings of wit and snide as Tuckewell wrestles with the outcome of his actions. Bevan, Cairns and Scruton are delights to watch on stage, exuding energy as they bounce off of one another – each with oodles of charm and charisma.
While I’d enjoy the delicious irony of trying to get a Loiseau for my critique of Out to Lunch, the truth is that it was a well constructed sardonic performance, with only two flaws. Both relate to the music.
The first is the singing. Bevan and Scruton certainly gave it a good go but both got progressively more out of tune as the play went on. Cairns put in a great performance, singing both in tune and with clarity, but that only served to further highlight the lacking singing prowess of her co-stars. The second is the interlude music. The few bars that endlessly repeated were ok initially,but by the end actually made me feel itchy. While a small part of the overall show, it was distracting to the point of discomfort. I sincerely hope this gets looked at, if the show ever expands beyond the Fringe.
Those seemingly small – but personally major – critiques aside, Out to Lunch is a wonderful reflection at how toxic attitudes among reviewers can get. Akin to a more cynical Mighty Boosh, with a dash of Matt Berry’s Snuff Box, this is a delight of a play that really should be on your show list for this August.
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