4.5 STARS
What’s Cooking?, written and directed wonderfully by Gary Berezin strives to make us cherish the time we have and reminds us of the brevity of life. Set in an American diner, two couples meet unexpectedly and reflect on their lives and past decisions that led them to this place today as they wait out the rain. With glasses of wine provided by an eccentric waitress, Adriana, they await the end of the rain to be able to go their separate ways, yet something else will impede their journey home.
Both couples seemed stark opposites from the offset, the lighting separating their conversations, yet they were encouraged to bring their tables together and share the evening. Each cast member was fully committed to their role, bringing the characters to life before the audience with an outstanding performances from Beth Mullen and Penny Bainbridge (Annie and Kate respectively). The debut performance from James McGilloway (Greg) must also be commended. The brilliant acting was accompanied with equally brilliant lighting and the use of the black outs really added to the atmosphere without distracting from the story.
There were moments of humour, sorrow and reflection in this play, keeping the audience interested in each part and making us eager to find out the baggage and back stories of each of the characters. By the end of the play, we are still left pondering some questions about these characters, making it a winner in our eyes at Her Campus, something we can continue talking about after the curtain call.
The production team brought the play together very well to make it a success, with the intelligent use of lighting and timing, creating a good mixture of suspense and action. The actors were all very confident in their roles and it was a joy to watch.
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