The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband

‘The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband’ is a wicked and very black comedy for adults. This highly praised play from film director and screenplay writer, Debbie Issitt, is presented by the Kalamunda Dramatic Society (KADS) at the Town Square Theatre, Barber Street, Kalamunda until August 6^th. All shows commence at 8pm.

 

       It is the 1970s, medallion-man and Elvis lookalike, Kenneth (Joe Isaia) is celebrating his third wedding anniversary with miserable, moody wife, Laura. Kenneth has decided to take attractive Laura (Kylie Isaia) out for a beautiful meal, to his ex-wife’s home!
       The fawning, but bitter, Hilary (Melanie DeCull), his wife of nineteen years is definitely the best cook he has ever known, however Laura is best ‘in the sack’.
       The story flashes back about four years to when ‘bastard’ Kenneth and Laura met, and gradually the tale works its way up through their affair to today’s celebration.
       Who will win the repulsive Kenneth in the end, the glorious manipulating and smug cook, Hilary? Or the red hot presenter of burnt offerings, Laura?

 

The set consists of three walls of flats, attractively painted in cream and burgundy but with no trimmings. The only props being two tables and some chairs; hence all attention was focused on the acting, much of which was mime. Whether drinking tea, smoking or making wild passionate love, the standard of the wacky miming was superb. A great deal of attention had been made to what movements the actual tasks involved, so the absence of actual objects seemed irrelevant.

The dialogue was, for a major portion of the play, aimed at the audience, either as asides or directly addressing them in the style of ‘Shirley Valentine’. At first I found this approach and lack of props disturbing, but after about ten minutes the whole audience seemed to warm and accept it, and the laughs flowed freely. The humour was bawdy, at times quite coarse, but doesn’t leave a bad taste in the mouth - always beautifully presented.

The three actors were amazing, their chemistry and timing perfect. The pace galloped along at an exhausting rate for the performers. The multi-award winning directors George and Terry Hackett, employed brief blackouts, or lighting swings, to move the action from one woman’s house to the other house. Aging teddy-boy, Kenneth’s method of transport from one love to the other was side-splitting.

Melz DeCull was evil, as her simmering smile to her husband changed rapidly to a scowl at the whore who pinched her husband. Joe captured the confused husband perfectly, totally unaware that he couldn’t have his cake and eat it. Kylie had a tricky performance, purring sexily in Kenneth’s ear, whilst deep down hurting because of her inability to please him at the table – though most successful on the table!

Although the author is still in her forties, her observations were that of a long-time married woman, with some of Ken’s lines chauvinistic to the extreme. Cleverly constructed script.

The lighting design (Joy Miles) was well above average and the sound operation (Bob Orlowski) spot on. The costumes (Terry Hackett) matched the set trimmings, being in floral scarlet for Hilary and plain grass green satin for the petulant Laura.

A slightly slow start but exceptionally funny. One of the strongest casts that I have seen in a community theatre comedy.