In film and TV, the term ‘meet cute’ traditionally means the first time a future romantic couple meet, often in humorous circumstances. Strawberry Hill actress Bibi Lucille has turned this concept on its head with her solo play, Meat Cute, which I attended at the Chiswick Playhouse. Bibi turned in a bravura performance playing all the parts herself; she demonstrated a brilliant range of accents and switched emotions from trauma to elation in a heartbeat.
The plot follows a woman on a mission to convert men to veganism through Tinder dating. The serious message is conveyed with pizzazz and carnivalesque good humour (incidentally the root of the word carnivalesque is ‘goodbye meat’!). The stagecraft was also skilful and affecting, so much so that when the lights at the end of the show were turned accusingly on the audience, I guiltily hid my leather-clad feet under the seat in front of me. Bibi Lucille is a rising star! The play is a must see!
Meat Cute continues at the Chiswick Playhouse; The Hen and Chickens Theatre for Camden Fringe (15-17 August) and The Bread and Rose Theatre in Clapham, (19th-23rd Oct).
Dr Richard Mills is Senior Lecturer in Literature and Popular Culture at St Mary’s University, Twickenham.
Dr Richard Mills
Contact: richard.mills@stmarys.ac.uk