Review: MEAT CUTE, Chiswick Playhouse

After a half year hiatus from the theatre, this week I had the pleasure of watching Meat Cute at the Chiswick Playhouse, and I can safely say it was as good for my soul as quinoa is for a healthy diet.

The one-women show, performed by Bibi Lucille, is a funny, engaging and utterly thought-provoking piece, that revolves around a woman called lena, and her journey from converting moronic tinder dates to veganism, to rallying against animal cruelty and oppression.

Lucille, who is also the writer of the piece , is an absolute joy to watch, and handles the pressures of carrying the whole show on her shoulders with exquisite grace, fantastic comedy timing, and with a personability and charm that makes you warm to the character from the moment she comes drunkenly dancing on to the stage. As well as the main character, Lucille also plays around a dozen other characters throughout the piece, and each character is hilariously performed, easily definable, and most of the time, suitably repugnant.

A fair amount of cheap whiskey is consumed throughout the show and during the character’s journey to find the hard earned, hard drunk clarity of who she is and what she wants, the audience in turn have their eyes opened; and whilst the piece is often extremely funny, the themes and execution of the story made me leave feeling enlightened with some sobering new points of view and perspective to boot.

As a society, we are constantly told by the powers that be, what is right and wrong, what we should and shouldn’t accept as imperative or immoral within the confines of our community, and though it’s so much easier for us to conform to the general consensus, Meat Cute provides deliciously crafted, beautifully balanced food for thought. What if everyone stood up for what they believed in? For what was right?

Thanks to the fantastic, consistent script and energised acting from Lucille, and thanks to marvellous direction from director Anastasia Bunce - stripped back but intricate all at the same time - I found myself engrossed from start to finish.

The work that Patch Plays are doing is important and I will be sure to look out for their work in the future. I implore that you do so to.

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: James Edge

Meat Cute will next be performed as part of the Camden Fringe from 15-17 August. To book tickets, please click here.