Gastronauts review, Royal Court Upstairs

Gastronauts is a theatrical and culinary smorgasbord of foods and facts. Ninety minutes on, the deep fried crickets keep repeating on me - they tasted like they'd been fried in the same oil used for the Chinese cabbage from an earlier course, but I remain open minded on the crispy locusts in honey.  It is the season for I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, so one is grateful for not being fed turkey bollocks or kangaroo penis, but the after effect is like being trapped in a bad burp.

Thankfully, the same is not true of Nessah Muthy and April de Angelis, play.  While it lacks a coherent structure or any real theatrical oomph, the opportunity to table share with others in the audience and to try out some creepily interesting food stuffs is complemented by amusing turns from a lively cast of four, and good songs written by Alasdair Macrae who also MC's proceedings. The wine, Berry Bros & Rudd Ordinary Claret, was fabulous.

Just not crickets

The evening starts in a blue departure lounge in which shot glasses filled with neon liquids are lined for our consumption. The elegantly hairy MC then beckons us through a curtain into a restaurant where, across an hour and forty minutes, we have an astronomic gastronomic experience. The idea, with some impact, is to make us think about food: where is it from, how are food markets manipulated, what is put into food to hasten the process, and what are the alternatives to methane emitting cows?

In conclusion: The fun is more in the added value than the message - in being part of the Gastronauts experience and catching up with new people after the event was done. The cast, Andy Clark, Justine Mitchell, Nathaniel Martello-White and the wonderfully perky and comedic Imogen Doel give the script much needed spice. 

References

Gastronauts, Tickets

Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS,  Run ends December 21