Hootananny’s, Inverness, Monday 5 July 2004 then touring

ROADRUNNER THEATRE COMPANY is a new company, based in Ross-shire, which was established in January 2003. It was founded by Ally MacLeod who has worked with Tag Theatre Company and most recently with newly established Moray theatre company, Dogdaze. She was a founder member of Visible Fictions Theatre Company and toured with them nationally and internationally for four years. She spent a further four years in New York working with experimental theatre companies before returning to her native Highlands.

Roadrunner’s first production, Elsie and Norm’s Macbeth, toured to just a handful of venues last summer, but it was well received by promoters and audiences, so I was very interested in seeing this company perform.

The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband by Debbie Isitt is a three-handed dark comedy interspersed with musical interludes, a bit reminiscent of Dennis Potter plays when a character breaks out in song.  As the title suggests, the play deals with a jealous woman, whose husband has left her for a younger model. But this is a man who wants to have his cake and eat it too, as he quickly discovers his new wife can’t cook – a skill in which his ex-wife excelled. As you can imagine, the ex-wife seeks revenge – she invites the couple for dinner, and plans an unusual menu.

Jackie Goode plays the ex-wife with a verve that captivates the whole production – she throws herself wholeheartedly into the character. The audience feared for Jack Wright – his role as the cheating husband was so physically demanding in the scenes when he was seeing his lover and keeping up the pretence of dutiful husband that we wondered where his energy came from!

Rebecca MacDonald played Laura, the lover, with refreshing candour as a woman whose interest in housekeeping and food is minimal – she has a figure to keep! – much to the disappointment of her new husband, and it is his greed which eventually drives him back to his first wife and tragedy.

A full house at Hootananny’s, packed into the small upstairs venue, thoroughly enjoyed this piece, as was evident in the enthusiastic applause when this show came to its sorry but hilarious end.

The Woman Who Cooked Her Husband can be seen at the following venues:
Ballachulish Arts,  Argyll, Monday 12 July 2004
Ardvasar Village Hall, Isle of Skye, Wednesday 14 July 2004
Aros, Portree, Isle of Sky, Thursday 15 July 2004
Raasay House, Isle of  Raasay, Friday 16 July 2004
Craigmonie Theatre, Drumnadrochit, Saturday 17 July 2004

© Maggie Dunlop, 2004