Theatre review: The Kitchen

Tensions are high among the restaurant staff from the start in the revival of the 1950’s play The Kitchen by Arnold Wesker at the National Theatre, London. Chatter amongst the cosmopolitan employees centres on the quirkiness of German cook Peter (Tom Brooke), his temperament and the latest instalment in his relationship with the married Monique (Katie Lyons). The cast is numerous in this production directed by Bijan Sheibani – the stage is filled with several cooks and waitresses. In between cooking, the staff argue and fight. People get burned. Some are chased – all in the heat of the kitchen. The realistic cooking scenes are sometimes choreographed with the actors performing similar actions to the invisible food in various locations simultaneously. Though some actions inspire fascination, the story doesn’t quite grip enough to make you care about the characters.