The Big Bite Size Show, Pleasance Theatre review
After 18 successful years at Edinburgh Fringe, The Big Bite Size Show arrives in London for the first time at The Pleasance Theatre, no less. A gem of a place for fringe theatre in London. Located in Islington, the theatre was once the timber store for the London Omnibus Company and has kept many original features, making for an atmospheric evening. Tables are set out in cabaret style, and everyone is offered a large single strawberry upon entering—why? I am not sure, but I’m not complaining.
Each week features a curated selection of eight short plays, showcasing comedy, drama, and the unexpected—from a space crew returning home to a kidnapping with a twist. On average, each segment is 10-15 minutes long and, as you can imagine, is the perfect format for those with short attention spans. It also works if someone is simply looking for variety and themes.
A Quiet Table for Four, The Big Bite Size Show.
I personally expected to enjoy The Big Bite Size Show in a similar way to when I go to comedy nights featuring multiple comedians. There is often at least one weak link, but the rest always more than makes up for it. Here, every week offers a different line-up, and each performance is a showcase of the best new writing from the Fringe. The production features a rotating cast of nine actors delivering the performances in various combinations.
The first performance (Home by William Knoweldon) was the story of three astronauts stuck in space for three years, and in a short space of time, surprisingly, much is revealed about each person’s character and what life must have been like during their time confined in the claustrophobic spacecraft. Let’s just say they eventually got on each other’s nerves, and life back on Earth did not stand still for them. One person figures out that his sexuality isn’t what he thought it was.
The performances are not all comedies; Thin Air by Tom Coash is about a tightrope walker who is facing a crisis of confidence. This notion of tightrope walking is the perfect metaphor for life. Isn’t living without a net what life is about? Trying to figure out when it is time to quit—feeling unbalanced—questioning one’s life path, and trying to know where one is going. It leaves much to ponder.
Vintage by Lucy Kaufman.
A highlight was Vintage, by Lucy Kaufman. Set in 2007, a quirky and slightly delusional couple, Jenny and David, are in what feels like a couple’s counselling session as they reveal the cracks in their relationship. The audience soon realises they are both fully committed to living and dressing in the 1940s and are historically following the events as they happened in the ’40s. She married in a vintage bridal gown, he only listens to music on his gramophone, and apparently, ’40s underwear is “sensational”. The humour is in their full commitment to this imagined life. “It was all fine until ‘the war’.” David feels guilty for not fighting in the war. Jenny is not happy about the stocking shortage but declares having met Benny, an American GI who has supplied her with some scarce stockings… he may well have supplied her with something else (wink wink). This story was probably the best writing of the evening, and the delivery was sharp, with great comedic timing, especially by Hana Vincent playing Jenny.
Hana Vincent also excels as the victim of a bungled kidnapping (he has kidnapped the wrong person) in Keeping Annabelle. Annabelle is a demanding victim. The bag on her head smells stinky; when offered tea, she asks for Earl Grey; is insulted she was mistaken for the original victim, who is a stone heavier. It is a preposterous situation which makes for an entertaining short story.
Lastly, the premise of A Quiet Table for Four has a lot of potential. A couple is on their first date. Both are a touch insecure and are hounded by their inner voices, who are physically present on stage. The piece had its moments, but would have benefitted from better direction, but was still an entertaining way to end the evening.
Overall, The Big Bite Size Show is an entertaining evening with a strong and experienced cast taking you on themes of delusion, self-doubt, fantasy, misunderstandings, heartbreak, and inner voice. And, best be warned, you should order a pizza from The Yard, which can deliver to your table, because if you don’t, the wafting dough smell from nearby tables will be a little distracting.
Date: 5 - 15 March 2025 Time: 7.30pm/3pm/11am. 9EF. Price: from £15, Book 5 tickets and get the 6th Free. Location: Pleasance Theatre, Carpenters Mews, North Road, London N7. Instagram: @thepleasance, @bitesizeshortplays
Review by Natascha Milsom
