Mouthful

In ‘Mouthful’, six writers, teaming up with six scientists, have each responded to the global food crisis with a short play, with the same cast of four tackling all parts. Despite a great line-up, the two hour buffet ranges hugely in quality; one minute it’s lobster thermidor, the next it’s Findus Crispy Pancakes. Poet/playwright Inua Ellams has written a tender piece about an upper-middle class student who goes to look for his friend in war-torn Nigeria; Olivier Award winner Bola Agbaje offers a dull tiff between a mansplaining gym freak and his chocolate-obsessed girlfriend.

For much of the evening we’re just being told stuff: facts and figures forced down our throats, not just in the plays but through infographics projected onto the walls. It’s as if the writers want to make sure we know just how much research they’ve put into it. The pieces that work the best are the ones that put the narrative first, rather than trying to force an ‘issue’ at the expense of character, structure or substance.

Neil LaBute’s offering ‘16 Pounds’ gets the balance right: a vicious two-hander set in a dystopian future, it’s the meatiest of the lot. With the world’s water almost dried up, a man has an appointment with a woman who can help. La Bute slowly reveals the price the man has had to pay for his pitiful ration. ‘16 Pounds’ shows off the skills of its two performers, Robert Hands and Alisha Bailey: Hands is a completely broken man, Bailey his cruel and curious torturer.

‘Mouthful’ is a grim reminder that, as the West scoffs ever more quinoa and slurps on single origin espressos, the people on the other side of the world who produce our food are getting screwed over. It’s a worthy cause, but as a piece of theatre it’s not quite filling enough to stave off a post-show trip to the kebab shop.

BY: TIM BANO