Takeaway, written by Nathan Powell and directed by Amanda Huxtable is a family comedy-drama of community struggles and generational clashes.
The story is set in a Liverpool 8 restaurant, Hylton's, a much-loved Caribbean takeaway/cafĂ© which has a long-standing history in the area. It was established by Carol (Phina Oruche) and her late husband and became a busy hub with a mouth-watering Jamaican menu, serving delicious food with a huge side-order of love. But technology has not caught on in their takeaway world, delivery apps don’t feature in their busy schedules, mainly due to Carol who is reluctant to move forward with the times. The Liverpool they live in is changing and 2025 is a busy metropolis of street-food markets and gourmet curry goat outlets and Carol’s daughters want to bring the takeaway into the 21st century making Carol uncertain about what their future holds. Added to this, a block of luxury apartments are about to be built over a local playing field close-by, and the family’s anger is rising causing tension which brings about change.
The cast is Adi Alfa (Browning), Bill Caple (Richard), Phina Oruche (Carol), Wayne Rollins (Chef), and Bene Sebuyange (Shelly).
The colourful set (Set and Costume Design by Georgia Wilmot) sets the scene in the takeaway, with a door opening to the street outside, a serving counter, a map of Jamaica mounted on the wall, a curtained area to the back room and a seating area with tables and chairs. Lighting Design by Laura Howard, Sound Design by Ernest Acquah, Trainee Assistant Director is Scarlet (Red) Robinson Stanley.
The press handout states that this play is ‘ joyous, challenging, anarchic, and has Liverpool at its core. It’s about family, about community, and about finding joy and resilience even in difficult times’. Unfortunately, there were sound issues during the performance which meant this reviewer had difficulty hearing what was being said, so could not appreciate the ‘joyous, challenging, anarchic’ script. Sitting on the back row, 5 rows from the front, the dialogue was inaudible by performers, particularly the women cast members and more so when their back was turned. Audience members sitting upstairs must have had more of a problem hearing. This problem could easily have been solved by cast members wearing head mics.
Those in the audience, nearer to the stage, were laughing at the many jokes delivered by the script and were able to enjoy the performance but this reviewer sadly was unable to.
The production runs until 17th May 2023.
www.everymanplayhouse.com/event/takeaway/
Reviewer – Anne Horne
On – 30.04.2025
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