Knives and Forks – Riverside Studios

In Danielle James’s ambitious but uneven play, Iris and Thalia live in a flat share. Firm friends who share a life of carefree partying and fun. But Iris is hiding a catastrophic secret that will rip their world apart.

Knives and Forks, directed by Annah Calascione, has a strong story at its heart, one of love and acceptance in the face of the ultimate ending. Where it becomes a little problematic is in the additional elements utilised to tell this story.

Both Iris and Thalia have shadows, or ‘psyches’ who dress like them and express themselves through movement and words or art, added to a huge canvas backdrop. Now and again, it is a clever shorthand to highlight what is not being said. But as both an emotional device, and a practical one to tell us where we are in the non-linear narrative, it often confuses or distracts.

The main two performances are strong, with a definite chemistry between Ianthe Bathurst (Iris) and Thea Mayeux (Thalia).

The use of lighting (by Conor Costellpe) is very good, while the movement is sensitively choreographed by Caterina Danzici.

I just wasn’t clear why we needed four people on stage, although both India Walton and Chien-Hui Yen had strong stage presences. Knives and Forks could find itself an emotional powerhouse were it to disentangle its busy elements. A moment where one character decides to go off-piste out of the stage frame has potential. Sequences where garbled sound comes over the speakers offered a sense of the confusion and incoherence in a house of illness.

But too much perplexes the audience and risks overwhelming the heart of the play. Words are written in Greek. Drawings are half-finished or indecipherable. Further back from the front rows the writing may start to become illegible.

In a 60-minute piece all the disparate elements overwhelm the content and feel dangerously close to padding at times. As it stands, this show is worth keeping an eye on, but I found it too uneven to be successful.

I appreciate the effort and the ideas, but Knives and Forks needs some additional polish and a pause for thought in the cutlery drawer.

Reviewer: Louise Penn

Reviewed: 17^th July 2024

North West End UK Rating: