Tom Fowler’s Hope has a Happy Meal is the sort of piece that you’d be excited to watch – a farcical quest throughout a hyper-capitalist country our protagonist has left and is returning to – but the landing of which didn’t quite go as smoothly on this occasion.
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Set in the fictional People’s Republic of Koka Kola – the story follows Hope who’s a mother with issues, to put it lightly – wherein the forests are named after corporations and corruption is rife. That’s all we’re told, and the beginning scene in an airplane involves the titular protagonist (played convincingly by Laura Checkley and whose facial expressions and ability to captivate the audience at each level of Naomi Dawson’s intriguing set, a highlight in my eyes)- who really garners lots of laughs from the audiences speaks to a fellow passenger before descending. The comedic timing and initial exuberance of this piece left the rest of the material somewhat lacking in ways I wish it retained the sparky start. From this moment on, the play dazzles but goes onto a journey of somewhat fizzling out and lacking from direction in what the source material intended.
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In the play, Hope very quickly makes a friend in Isla (who is raising a small newborn, belonging to her sister) and they are on a mission to escape. The scenes with them in a toilet are quite brilliant written and acted – despite the plot at times struggling to hold up the satirical thriller concretely. Nima Taleghani is a highlight providing some light relief in his character Ali (a quirky, but slightly odd forrest ranger); overall the project ultimately felt too much all happening at once, and I in particular felt like it started higher than it ended in terms of how tight a piece it was.
Nevertheless, the company did make the most of the script, and the direction (especially in the scene with the gameshow clown) were both most superbly executed. It would appear that the excess balloons from the Royal Court’s downstairs production of Baghdaddy were utilised well, but it’s a shame the Golden Arches didn’t come along with this production.
Sat 03 Jun – Sat 08 Jul £12 – £25
Jerwood Theatre Upstairs, Royal Court Theatre:
https://royalcourttheatre.com/whats-on/hope-has-a-happy-meal/#book