For a comedy, there are not enough laughs. Although Torben Betts is perfectly skilled at delivering humorous dialogues, in Monogamy there is very little sun, but plenty of glowering darkness.
So many characters – and their troublesome characteristics – have piled in, manic sitcom style, with bursts of backstory and downright bafflement, that it seems a problem beyond solution in a final hour. That is why you should not leave in the interval.
Playwright Torben Betts has turned to the kitchen for inspiration with his latest play, Monogamy, delving into the pantry of celebrity chef Caroline Mortimer and discovering that there’s no recipe for happiness among her haute cuisine success.
Details have been released of the National Theatre’s season from May to September 2018. Highlights include the Uk premiere of Hadestown, with music, lyrics and book by Anaïs Mitchell, the return of Follies and Patrick Marber’s new version of Eugène Ionesco’s Exit the King.
Janie Dee’s brief residency at Live At Zedel was a chance to glimpse a performance of understated excellence. A two-time Olivier winner – and just nominated for a third – Dee drew her inspiration from across the spectrum of song in an enchanting yet eclectic set.
Charlie Brooks and Patrick Ryecart will play Sally and Mike in the UK tour and London run of Torben Betts’s new comedy, Monogamy. They join the previously announced Janie Dee as Caroline Mortimer.
How to split these three? Why would you even want to. Their effortless grace, their ferociously detailed complexity, their heart-breaking connectivity, all three will live long in my mind.
Live At Zédel, Soho’s unique live entertainment concept at Crazy Coqs, announces its new 2018 winter/spring season produced in partnership with Fane Productions.
Jez Butterworth’s The Ferryman, James Graham’s Ink and the National’s revival of Sondheim’s Follies dominate the shortlists for the 2017 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.
