A sharp, tightly-paced, and very human comedy well worth your time
It’s Christmas Day for Tracy, and “an hour to turkey o’clock”, slaving over the oven as her family and friends play parlour games in an adjoining room. As an audience, we are as chained to the kitchen as Tracy is, only catching snippets of festive cheer as another bowl of crisps is delivered to the waiting crowd.
Meanwhile, with the Turkey browning in the oven, Tracy monologues about events from her past – playing pranks at a séance, conning free drinks from men at the bar, falling head-over-heels for a rich American – pausing intermittently to perfect her gravy recipe. Fundamentally a comedy, there is a spectre at this feast in the form of Tracy’s missing best friend, introducing a tension as the reasons for her absence slowly unfurl. Cathy Conneff is effervescent as Tracy, bringing an energy and pathos that makes you glad to be in the kitchen alongside her, rather than with the rest of the guests.
The kitchen itself sketches out a working-class family trying to push the boat out, which I found evocative of my own childhood Christmases. The unopened bag of Mini Cheddars in a bowl on the side, mismatched pots on the stove, and wonky ‘Home Sweet Home’ above the cooker mean the audience already have an idea of Tracy before she hits the stage.
This is an intimate space that Conneff makes the most of, searching for eye-contact with audience members and even drawing some into roleplays which are rewarded with a mince pie (“Lidl Deluxe!”). Far from awkward, these interactions bring a warmth and authenticity to proceedings, helped by a snappy script and Conneff’s charisma – by the end of the evening, Tracy really does feel like a friend you’ve known for years.
Jeopardy is injected into the mix not just by the possibility of some overcooked sprouts, but also Tracy’s AWOL best friend Jackie. And whilst she never appears on stage, you get a crisp picture of the type of woman she is and what she means to Tracy. Several other characters are equally well captured, particularly the American lover Gregory and Tracy’s vegan-on-the-warpath mother-in-law. Although Coffey is the only actress on stage, you leave the show feeling like you have got to know a whole cast of characters.
A one-hander ultimately lives and dies by its main character, and an intelligent script rich with laugh-out-loud moments combines with Coffey’s dynamism to pull this off with aplomb. There are also moments of real humanity in the show’s more serious moments, and a satisfying payoff towards its conclusion. Most importantly, whether bouncing around the stage as a boxing ring announcer, throwing cocked eyebrows left-and-right, or slumped in a chair after a fit of rage, Tracey is hard to take your eyes off of, imbuing the show with a keen sense of momentum.
Whilst it may not be all that festive beyond its setting, 21 Round For Christmas is a warm, intimate and cosy 70 minutes well worth taking the time to experience. Perfect for a Christmas outing that’s just a little bit different.
21 Round For Christmas plays at the Park Theatre Mondays to Saturdays until 23rd December, with Thursday and Saturday matinees.