A brief review of a brief play. Set in an Edinburgh hotel room, a twist in the story makes it rather appropriate and timely for a show running in London over the festive period. Mike (Alexander Arnold) has popped out for food – evidently the hotel’s breakfast options weren’t up to scratch for him, while Mary (Lauren Lyle) is in the shower. By the time she comes out, he’s back in the room, munching away at a bucket of chicken pieces from KFC – in the morning. His unfamiliarity with KFC, or indeed fast food in general, is explained away by what he says his background is: he’s from a rural part of America where there are no convenience stores.
Mike and Mary’s one-nighter, which has already happened by the time the play begins (and no, this isn’t one of those time-hopping plays that jumps back and forth between the present and the past) is ostensibly the result of a flying visit by Mike to Britain and a mission, so to speak, by Mary to sleep with as many men as is feasible in order to get impregnated. The comedy value in the show is in a series of misunderstandings which come to a conclusion of sorts by the end of the play, and the forty-five minute running time leaves the audience wanting more. But that, as I have developed a habit of saying, is far better than a show that outlasts its welcome.
There are explorations of faith and religion here – not that either character prays to the patron saint of fried chicken, whoever that may be – but rather, without (hopefully) giving too much away, there are considerations of self-affirmation and whether there are forces beyond ourselves that can help us to achieve what we’re trying to do, so long as we take active steps towards those ambitions. The cynic in me is inclined to conclude there is more than a whiff of absurdism going on, but in the end, it’s a story that’s easy to follow, and it unfolds in such a way that draws the audience into proceedings.
The performances from both actors are thoroughly convincing, and while it’s true that you’d probably get more laugh-out-loud moments from seeing a comedy hour at Soho Theatre, the humour here is just as observant and on the nose.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Mary’s been sleeping with strangers across Scotland for eight months. Tonight’s conquest: Mike, an American tourist who’s never heard of KFC.
After the best sex of her life, she tells him what she’s been hiding.
Then he tells her what he’s been hiding.
CAST
Lauren Lyle – Mary
Alexander Arnold – Mike
CREATIVE TEAM
David Ireland – Writer
Max Elton – Director
Ceci Calf – Set and Costume Designer
Amy Daniels – Lighting Designer
Marcus Rice – Sound Designer
Rob Kelly – Casting Director
19th Street Productions and María Inés Olmedo Projects in association with Soho Theatre present
MOST FAVOURED
Soho Theatre Dean Street
11 December 2025 to 24 January 2026
