Biscuits for Breakfast by Gareth Farr is a moving piece that tackles childhood memories, loss, and the hunger (no pun intended) for an aspirational future in a cost-of-living crisis.
Joanne and Paul aren’t an obvious match – she is spiky, defensive and a survivor; whereas he is quiet, considered and hiding profound grief for his father. The pleasure Paul takes in cooking dishes – and the astonishing food he prepares perfectly crafted by his physical theatre methods – creates an electric bond between them. When the hotel where Joanne closes, she moved to a garlic bread factory (I half expected an homage to Peter Kay’s skit) and they eventually start to spiral into poverty when a surprise appears. From the dreams of having a cookbook, to a dream of surviving, the drama proves to be a thrilling watch.
In the intense two-hander play lasting over an hour and a half (with no interval), we meet two young people: Joanne and Paul. Both are relatively young and meet in club when Paul asks to buy her a drink to which she – a fiesty woman with care home experience – is clearly aware of she is not in need of one. Boadicea Ricketts’ Joanne is believable whereas Ben Castle-Gibb’s Paul expresses grief in such touching ways. Both give a stellar performance given some flawed writing, and command the entirety of the stage with energy and verve.
Hampstead Theatre is one of my favourite producing houses, and this is an exemplary piece that echoes the sentiment of real-live stories drawn with sensitivity and flair. The downstairs space is totally transformed into a runway with audiences seated on two rows at each side. The clever set (created by Cecilia Carey) is what captured my attention and kept me gripped throughout; bare except for a table and two chairs as well as mounds of sand at each side. The movement direction is really effective in conveying the emotion in this piece. Further, the scene changes – such as when we enter Paul’s boat and the intricate details of the set is laid bare – are executed with confidence. A beautiful mosaic floor design to showcase changes in setting, with lights that interchange between gold and blue-y greens, assist the storytelling of the main protagonists.
Where it fell short for me was the repetitive nature of lines and phrases (for example, ‘Posh!’ was a favourite of Joanne’s) as well as the length being a little bit too long-winded in parts and it could have been rather succinct in its deployment.
Overall, the performances given by the two leads were really powerful – especially the ending which really caught me off guard – and I mostly enjoyed this production for its interrogation of government failure and its impacts on real-life people.
LISTINGS
Hampstead Downstairs / Celia Atkin present
WORLD PREMIERE
Hampstead Downstairs / Celia Atkin present
Biscuits for Breakfast
By Gareth Farr
Directed by Tessa Walker
Designer Cecilia Carey
Lighting Matt Haskins
Sound Holly Khan
Cast Boadicea Ricketts (Joanne) and Ben Castle-Gibb (Paul)
Hampstead Theatre, Eton Avenue, London NW3 3EU
Box Office: 020 7722 9301 (Mon – Sat 10.30am – 7pm) | hampsteadtheatre.com
Dates: Friday 5 May – Saturday 10 June 2023
Captioned Performances: Wednesday 31 May at 7.45pm and Thursday 1 June at 2.45pm
TICKETS
First five previews: All tickets £5
Remaining performances: £20
U30/students: £10
Seniors (matinees only): £12
Access: £10
** Note: the ticket provided for this performance was a complimentary one, in the exchange for an honest review and all opinions are my own **