This short play – a three-hander from Liz Tait – is about the intriguing relationships between three participants at a regular open mic night (at a mythical Bread and Roses pub). It is a slight piece with a somewhat melancholy air but in a series of short scenes we learn a lot about the broken dreams of the three protagonists.
Mitch is a singer and guitarist who lives alone on a houseboat. Kate is a mother who is trapped in a loveless marriage. Chrissie is the newly appointed organiser and MC of the open mic night but she has dreams of performing somewhere more prestigious than a pub in South London. They take turns to come on stage and perform their numbers but the real action takes place in a rudimentary green room near the stage. They all have reasons for gloom but they all try to avoid being open about what saddens them. We end the touching drama with a hint that there may be a happier time coming but it is only the faintest whisper of blue skies.
Mitch is played by Andy Hutchinson who channels an almost monosyllabic brand of sadness. He resists the tentative efforts of Kate and Chrissie to cheer him up – he has just had his beloved dog Rosie put down but it is clear this is a metaphor for a more fundamental ennui. His songs are anthems of gloom – I was willing him to do a Leonard Cohen number. Quiet desperation is the trademark of Sally Best as Kate – an expert in displacing her anger onto unavailable parking spaces and lost gloves. Despite some un-described event at a recent evening – a drunken kiss perhaps? – she cannot voice her feelings for Mitch. And as Chrissie, Helen Rogers is almost intolerably perky, trying to keep the show on the road and her feelings for Mitch under wraps. It all ends with a chaotic but touching trio which hints at better times to come. “This is for Rosie” they say to begin the song.
Its a cleverly structured piece with the transitions from green room to stage and back again happening so speedily they are almost imperceptible. All there is for scenery is a table and chairs, and the microphone itself. Mitch’s gentle guitar provides the soundtrack for the musical numbers. It is over just as one is beginning to develop a sneaking liking for these three losers – and just as the play hints that they may be getting to the point where they are able to be honest about their feelings. But it’s all, quite properly, left hanging at the end. A charming and touching piece, well worth a visit
Bread and Roses, Lambeth, London
Writer and Director: Liz Tait
Performers : Sally Best, Andy Hutchinson, Helen Rogers
Running time: 60 Mins
Date: various venues, until 14 December, 2024