Nigella Lawson serves as inspiration for this charming two-woman musical
Theatre is like cooking: text on a page is alchemised into something tangible and, with just a few simple ingredients, real magic can be made in the humblest of settings. How to Make a Mess, currently running Upstairs at the Gatehouse, uses lovely duets, impressive culinary choreography and clever design to illustrate how art and food nourish us.
Anna (an acerbic Natasha Karp), a London millennial whose days consist of brunch with friends, casual dates and having Gail’s coffee delivered, has her world knocked sideways when her estranged mother passes away. Dodging sitting shiva with her father and his other family, Anna stews in her empty kitchen when suddenly her saviour arrives: a singing spectre of famous television chef Nigella Lawson (Tanya Truman, who also produces here). The musical, written by Emily Rose Simons and directed by Grace Taylor, follows Anna’s grief journey under the guidance of Lawson’s tome How to Eat, wherein Nigella fills her kitchen and teaches her how to take care of herself and reconnect with her roots. And how to make mayonnaise.
Simons’ melodies and lyrics are playful and bouncy (David Merriman supports as music director and arranger). 'Best to Ignore' is a pop-forward earworm and 'All Food Can Do' is a lovely Waitresses-esque note to end the show on. Nigella’s entrance song, 'Welcome to My Kitchen', which sees the chef emerge from a cabinet in a red sparkly apron and boa, sets a great cabaret tone with Anna as a gawking counterpoint. 'Nothing Like My Mother', which comes later in the act, is the emotional axis of the show; we get a deeper insight into Nigella’s love of cooking in defiance of her mother’s obsession with thinness, and understand Anna’s aversion to the activity that was one of many ways she disappointed her own mother as a child.
Such glimpses into Anna’s past are meant to provide this sugary love letter with a grounding pinch of salt, but they can feel a bit heavy handed and even puzzling. Why do we see Anna reminiscing about reading How to Eat at the shops with her father, then only associate cooking with her mum? The kitchen seems to be at turns completely alien from the character’s background, then crucial to it. Her culinary and emotional breakthrough is gratifying, but comes after a touch too much reluctant whingeing, especially when Truman’s Nigella is so irresistible to the audience.
Another underexplored element is Anna’s Jewishness and how it relates to the musical’s very premise: there are a few funny Ashkenazi jokes, but no appreciation of Lawson’s Jewish background. This could be a great point of connection between the two women and allow them to bond through shared joy and culture, not just maternal trauma.
The show’s colourful programme (designed by Annlouise Butt) charts a bibliography of 'Nigella’s Wisdom' and recipes mentioned in the show as well as a brief history of its years of development; it’s clearly a labour of love and that is palpable throughout the production. Despite some repetitiveness and underbaked plot points, How to Make a Mess is a smart, surprisingly poignant homage to the power of food and fabulousness.
By Maia Kahn
Photos by Danny Kaan
How to Make a Mess runs until Sunday 28 June. 7.30pm. £25. Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London, N6 4BD. upstairsatthegatehouse.com