Details

1950s London. In the kitchen of an enormous West End restaurant, the orders are piling up: a post-war feast of soup, fish, cutlets, omelettes and fruit flans. Thrown together by their work, chefs, waitresses and porters from across Europe - English, Irish, German, Jewish - argue and flirt as they race to keep up. Peter, a high-spirited young cook, seems to thrive on the pressure. In between preparing dishes, he manages to strike up an affair with married waitress Monique, the whole time dreaming of a better life. But in the all-consuming clamour of the kitchen, nothing is far from the brink of collapse. Running time: 2hrs 30mins including interval.

Cast/Performers

Neal Barry, Tom Brooke (Peter), Ian Burfield (Max), Rebecca Davies (Betty), Stavros Demetraki (Gaston), Craige Els (Nicholas), Ruth Gibson (Gwen), Colin Haigh (Tramp), Rendah Heywood (Hettie), Tendayi Jembere (Magi), Siobhan McSweeney (Anne), Gerard Monaco (Raymondo), Sarah Mowat (Winnie), Bruce Myers (Marango), Vincenzo Nicoli (Alfredo), Luke Norris (Michael), Jessica Regan (Cynthia), Samuel Roukin (Paul), Tim Samuels (Head Waiter), Sam Swann (Dimitri), Sarah Sweeney (Jackie), Stephanie Thomas (Daphne), Rosie Thomson (Violet), Mike Aherne, Jake Ferretti, Rebecca Humphries, Rory Keenan, Tricia Kelly, Katie Lyons, Paul McCleary, Marek Oravec, Hambi Pappas

Creatives/Company

Author: Arnold Wesker
Producer: National Theatre
Director(s): Bijan Sheibani, Aline David (movement)
Design: Giles Cadle
Lighting: Mark Henderson
Costume: Moritz Junge
Sound: Dan Jones
Other: Jeremy Lee (Cookery Consultant)