Not in the Mood for Quiche Anymore Review

October 29, 2024

Not in the Mood for Quiche Anymore Review

22nd – 25th October 2024

When I asked my friend if she wanted to come to Barons Court Theatre with me on Saturday evening to see Victoria Buse’s one-woman tragi-comedy Not In The Mood For Quiche Anymore, she announced that she had just told her sister she wasn’t in the mood for frittata anymore – her go-to lunch for the past eight months. And there’s no such thing as a coincidence, so confident in my choice of friend, we made our merry way to West Kensington.

“To make the audience feel such an array of emotions is no small feat”

When you hear ‘one-woman show’, two obvious examples spring to mind: Phoebe Waller Bridge’s critically acclaimed Fleabag and the episode of Friends when Chandler ends up getting stuck at Why don’t you like me: A bitter woman’s journey through life. I don’t think it will be long before Not In The Mood For Quiche Anymore joins that list because it was witty, entertaining, and spookily relatable at times. But it was also uncomfortable, alarming and frustrating to see the questionable choices people make in the pursuit of love come to life.

To make the audience feel such an array of emotions is no small feat and thanks to Michael Gyngell’s expert direction and Laura Matthews’ superb performance as Becks, we really understand her family dynamic, her friends, and her job as a teacher: all of which helps to build the context of her life and to tell the story of her relationship with her dream man who turns out to be a convicted criminal.

The story is further brought to life through the eclectic selection of chairs that litter the stage and perfectly frame each scene which was particularly effective when she was visiting him in prison.

Becks’ is a situation I am still pondering two days later and although Not In The Mood For Quiche Anymore’s short run at Barons Court Theatre has already come to an end, I am certain it is only going to go from strength to strength.

Maggie John