A funny yet heartfelt look at relationships
Annabelle and Ben’s relationship is not what she has hoped it would be, but maybe people change as they grow comfortable. She also hates her job and her life feels like a failure. Trying to regain control of the situation, she throws a sophisticated dinner party, inviting uni friends and their partners. As the night unravels, the past inevitably comes up and the truth comes out.
There were relatable messages in this show, often too relatable. With inflation still rampant and certainly no end in sight, what previous generations were able to achieve is simply out of reach for a lot of people and it is easy to feel like your life is a failure when those supposed milestones are missed. How friendships change as you get older; it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day happenings on life and before you know it, it’s been a year since you’ve seen each other. In some ways, this show touches on the grief of a simpler time when you were able to be free.
This show also looks towards men and the impact of their behaviour in a relationship-it’s 2026 and a lot of them still need to be told what to do around the house and in day-to-day life. This leads on nicely to how some women can feel under pressure to not be alone, or to settle down and have kids, which can lead to someone caving in to taking the next step because you think it is the right thing to do, or worse, the people pleasing motivates your choices. One upbeat message is that we are free to love who we want to these days, even if it is a puppet.
These deep topics are delivered in a comedic and light-hearted way which, when a show imitates life, is very much needed otherwise it’s just too depressing. It also pokes fun at our behaviours, often a little ott but the delivery is spot on and no doubt reminds you of someone you have met which makes for some hilarious moments.
There was a great reception from the audience, and you really could feel the energy change when the play twists and it gets deep. It did end on a bit of a laugh which was fine, though maybe leaving the audience hanging with what has just happened would have made it more poignant as I’m not sure the ending worked, but maybe a poignant ending would’ve just been too much.
The Risotto is Burning‘s run at the Hope Theatre, London, has now concluded. It will be running at Riverside Studios, London, until the 16th August. Tickets linked here.