Written by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood.
Directed by Jarrad West.
Everyman Theatre. ACT Hub. To Aug. 1.
I thought for a while that we’d gone back to some post war
1960s ban the bomb stuff along the lines of the lighter side of Dr Strangelove.
Turns out it only dates back to 2011.
It’s a bit of good old fashioned anti nuclear stuff with all
the characters eventually trapped in a fall out shelter. And they are all
lesbians so the survival of the species is problematic. Much of the time is
devoted to figuring out ways to get round this.
It’s a genre that I am rather fond of. Try Threads for the
full on British gloom doom and despondency version. Or Dr Strangelove for the
black comedy. This one is rather more modern but mines the genre in a way that
the excellent cast enjoy no end.
There are five women, all different varieties of lesbian, in
the 1950s fallout shelter with a heavy grandly designed door with a little
window in it. They have gathered for the annual quiche breakfast of the Susan
B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein. They rapidly become
preoccupied with the future of humanity when one reveals she is pregnant.
The audience has name tags and is included but it’s clear
that no one is getting out of there in a hurry.
The play allows five experienced actors (Crystal Mahon,
Steph Roberts, Meaghan Stewart, Sian Harrington and Yaris Rogers) the chance to
go happily over the top. Director Jarrad West and this cast have clearly had a
lot of enjoyment with it all.
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| The cast of '5 Lesbians Eating A Quiche' |
Despite the high stage the flat floor for the audience makes for some sightline problems if you are further back so make sure you are well to the front.
It’s hardly the most incisive anti-bomb piece nor is it necessarily intended to be. The entrapment in a fallout shelter is a device to contain the characters rather than much of a piece of social and political criticism. But it is fun to watch such a good cast at work.
Alanna Maclean
