Review: MOST FAVOURED, Soho Theatre
Photo credit: Danny Kaan
Most Favoured is a show that is full of surprises, the first being that Kentucky Fried Chicken, yes the fast food, plays a central role. A KFC Bargain Bucket joins Mary and Mike the morning after the night before, but all is not quite what it seems.
Mary has been sleeping her way across Scotland for the past eight months and her latest conquest is Mike, an American tourist who bizarrely has never heard of KFC. While Mary bares all declaring that last night was the best sex of her life, Mike is falling in love with fried chicken. However, it soon becomes clear that this one-night stand is different and both parties are hiding something.
Written by David Ireland, Most Favoured is a quirky and quick-witted play. This two-hander features many of the themes that Ireland has explored previously; namely faith, loneliness and the actions people will take to gain human connection. This time, the themes are presented through a new and perhaps unexpected lens, as one-night stands, Christianity and those that pursue them typically don’t share values. Ireland is Northern Irish but trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and now lives in Glasgow. He has drawn on his personal experience to capture the dry humour of a Glasgow native like Mary. This clashes with Mike’s American awkwardness as on his first visit to the UK, he struggles to understand the slightly frosty reception he has received and even more so the Scots dislike of the English.
Directed by Max Elton, the play speeds along with only a 45-minute run time but there moments of silence for both the characters and audience to consider the strange way the plot progresses. The show is set in an Edinburgh Travelodge during the Fringe Festival, complete with the hideous striped curtains we know so well. Ireland has capitalised on the opportunity for some further laughs by drawing on some of the stereotypes of the Festival, which certainly goes down well in a room full of theatre reviewers last night! However, as the recurring jokes about KFC continue throughout the show, the laughter does begin to dwindle.
Most Favoured has a grimy realism; as the play opens, Mary steps out of the shower but she cannot wash away her sins as she has to get dressed into her clothes from the night before. Lauren Lyle and Alexander Arnold both deliver nuanced performances which balance the comedy and absurdity of the plot. Lyle wonderfully captures Mary’s insecurity and desperation and her annoyance as her outpouring of emotion contrasts with Mike’s naivety and indifference. Following Mary’s declaration that last night was the first time she has felt loved, you may expect greater chemistry between the pair but the reason for this is revealed.
Most Favoured won’t be for everyone but if you are a fan of David Ireland’s previous work and fancy a night of slightly absurd comedy, make sure you head to the Soho Theatre.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Sophie Luck
Most Favoured plays at London’s Soho Theatre until 24 January, with further info here.
