Casserole, Arcola Theatre review

What would you do if you were caught eating you partner’s dead mum’s last meal?

Part of me would prefer to just give that tantalising clue to the play and say no more, so if you do attend this play in the oh so hip area of Dalston, you can fully experience the impact and delight of letting the evening unfold before you. If you seek that experience, stop reading now and simply buy a ticket.

Kate Kelly Flood and James Alexandrou, Casserole, Arcola Theatre. Photo by Kit Mackenzie.

This crowd-funded play has been cooking (pun intended) for over five years which may seem excessive but as the programme explains “We were all unfunded and there was a pandemic in the way. Making this play was an attempt to nail down something I’d been doing instinctively up until that point as a director – a process of working with actors through improvisation to generate new material.” James Alexandou – Performer, Director & Co-writer.

Consequently, the relationship drama is co-written by three people, both actors, Kate Kelly Flood (portraying Kate), James Alexandou (portraying Dom) and Dominic Morgan. Moreover, this play marks the debut in-house production emerging from Actors East.

Actors East was started in 2018 as a theatre with acting, writing and directing training at its core and the onus on improvisation.

Casserole Arcola Theatre. © Natascha Milsom.

Like many small theatres, you enter immediately feeling part of the set. An incredibly realistic, plushily carpeted flat fills the space, as if the entirety of a couple’s abode has been transplanted here, including the dirty dishes in the sink, empty cans of beer, biscuit crumbs and clothes strewn on the floor. As the audience arrives and settles in, music plays, followed by the appearance of a bare-chested man just living his best life with the apartment to himself, singing as if nobody is watching to Livin’ on a Prayer by Bon Jovi. While pumping his bicycle tyre in the middle of the living room amidst the chaotic mess he has created, he is caught off guard when his partner, Kate, returns home prematurely. The solo party is over!

James Alexandrou and Kate Kelly Flood, Casserole, Arcola Theatre. Photo by Kit Mackenzie.

She returns after suffering a panic attack when she realised her “deceased” mother wasn’t with her (a trinket or perhaps a small vial of her ashes). Dom easily locates “mum” on a shelf. After a day of “signs” from the afterlife she is very much on edge, exacerbated by the state of the apartment and the underlying frustration of the unemployed, disheveled, and messy Dom.

Nearly a year since her mother’s passing it seems they haven’t really discussed what, how and why things happened as they did.

As the microwave dings, Kate realises Dom has taken her mother’s casserole she had been saving from the freezer for his consumption which is the last straw. With emotions of confusion, disappointment and despair across her face she tries to comprehend how he could knowingly do such a thing. (there was a prominent label on the container, making it hard to imagine it was a mistake).

Kate Kelly Flood, Casserole, Arcola Theatre. Photo by Kit Mackenzie.

Through Kate & Dom’s interactions, we observe how differently people grieve, and the disparity between what people believe the bereaved need to hear or know about the death of loved ones. What will or won’t comfort them. What will protect them from more hurt.

Kate feels guilt for not being there when her mother passed, despite trying desperately to fly home in time. She is jealous that Dom was. At the time ,Dom also led Kate to believe her mum was waiting for her to arrive before dying whereas Kate believed her mum in some way intentionally died without her there to send her a message. Their relationship suffered her mother’s illness from cancer, as Kate forced her mother to fight the disease as long as possible. The relationship with her mother was perhaps touched upon too lightly and required more depth.

Effective communication in a relationship is generally what will determine its success. We see the assumptions they make of each other, exacerbated by their differing life stages: Kate experiencing career success, while Dom is unemployed and inflicting his next “good idea” on her with unmatched enthusiasm. Dom keeps things from her to protect her while she sees it as dishonesty.

Through Kate and James’ strong performances the audience becomes invested in their relationship and along with Kate, wonders if they are suited to each other and if they will survive this and come through as a couple in the end.

There are many unanswered questions open to interpretation at the end of the evening. Questions that sparked much of the heated arguments during the 70-minute play. Did Kate originally ask her brother to the awards ceremony and only invite Dom to the Awards at the last minute to help ease her anxiety? Did they as a couple agree Dom would be a care giver to her mum? Did Dom mistakenly or intentionally eat the casserole because it appears he too was grieving?

James Alexandrou, Casserole, Arcola Theatre. Photo by Kit Mackenzie.

My only critique is there was a lot of shoes wearing and shoes removing, and wondering if they are ever going to get to the ill-fated awards ceremony. I think after the first near attempt at leaving they could have just given up on trying and bunkered down into the play more.

Casserole was a thoroughly satisfying evening of theatre. Actors East should be proud of their inaugural production as they have set themselves on a positive trajectory for their future as home to actors, writers and directors in East London.

Now a little FLOLondon recommendation to round out the evening.

We capped off the evening with dinner a stone’s throw away at Acme Fire Cult next to the neighbourhood’s favourite bakery Dusty Knuckle. (all very feasible, as the play is short). It was our first try here and we discovered some exceptionally fine cooking. A must-visit if you are in the neighbourhood.  A perfect London pairing – An excellent play with a side of dinner!

Date: 5 - 30 March 2024. Running time: 70 min (no interval). Location: Arcola Theatre,24 Ashwin St, London E8 3DL. Price: from £12. Book now.

Words by Natascha Milsom