Reviewer: Christine Stanton
Co-Writers: James Alexandrou, Kate Kelly Flood, Dominic Morgan
Director: James Alexandrou
“Realistic & Believable“
4 / 5
It’s the music video of the year awards – and Kate’s nomination means this is one of the biggest nights of her career. But instead of schmoozing all the right people at the prestigious event, she’s at home, desperately trying to get her boyfriend to get out of the rut he’s currently in and join her, while simultaneously trying to stifle the sadness that’s been consuming her since the death of her mother 10 months ago.
Kate (Kate Kelly Flood) is struggling with her grief, especially due to the fact she never got to say goodbye after her mother’s long illness, mildly resentful that her long-term partner Dom was there when she passed instead of her. Dom (James Alexandrou) acted as a carer of sorts in her later years and is also grieving the loss of Bev – laden with guilt and confusion on how to help Kate start feeling herself again. Grief aside, the pair are also trying to resolve the multiple other issues in their relationship that are seemingly getting worse over time. Dom is unemployed – constantly lazing around the messy house drinking and getting stoned, always coming up with a new idea or career path that never seems to come to fruition. Kate is highly strung and on edge, frustrated at having to be at the helm of the household during a time she’s already fragile and overwhelmed. An uneaten casserole left in the freezer by Kate’s mum becomes the conduit for their grief and differences – uncovering viewpoints they didn’t realise they differed on, during a time they already feel far apart from each other. Their conversations are tense and wrought with underlying annoyances and unsaid retorts, with glimmers of their love for each other occasionally still shining through the cracks in their currently very rocky relationship.
The on-stage deteriorating relationship between the two actors is believable and realistic – their mismatched personality clashes and methods of navigating grief concurrently humorous and emotive. There’s a lot packed into the short runtime – but both characters are quickly established, so although there isn’t a huge amount of backstory, it’s still very easy and clear to identify the connection between them, as well as the pitfalls that engulf them. Alexandrou is self-assured with his portrayal of Dom, seamlessly flipping between the anger, tenderness and exhaustion that his character is heavy with. Flood brilliantly captures the varying emotions of grief, allowing the vulnerabilities of her character to balance alongside her success and urgency to heal and ‘go back to normal’.
Originally developed over 5 years of improvisational workshops, the dialogue is occasionally less polished than a standardised script, but the at times stilted conversations and repeated exclamations add an additional layer of naturalistic realism to their interactions, making it feel like you truly are a fly on the wall during their explosive evening together. The set (Paulina Camacho and Paul Weedle) is immediately engaging – the untidy front room of the house a great visual metaphor for the characters complicated and messy relationship.
Casserole is an enjoyable show that covers a lot of ground during the one-act, hour long runtime. The strong performances and open-ended conclusion a fitting finale for the intense and intimate storyline.
Runs Until 30 March 2024
Photo Credit: Kit Mackenzie
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