Yummy! TV chef Nigel Slater’s recipes brought to life in new show at Horncastle theatre
Horncastle’s Lion Theatre promises to break new ground with its latest production, which is set to hit the stage soon.
The acclaimed Horncastle Theatre Company is busy rehearsing for ‘Toast’, a witty adaptation of the award-winning autobiography by well-known TV chef and food writer and broadcaster, Nigel Slater, OBE.
And a spokesperson for the company revealed: "The show will feature real-life cooking on stage, filling the space with the sounds and smells of Nigel’s most formative recipes. That’s a first for our theatre. Yummy!”
The production is scheduled for five nights from Wednesday, September 11 to Saturday, September 14 (7.30 pm, doors open at 7 pm). It has been adapted by Henry Filoux-Bennett and directed by Shirley Moffat.
Published in 2004, the book ‘Toast’ became a best-seller, focusing on Slater’s love of food, his childhood, his family relationships and his burgeoning homosexuality.
Slater himself, now 68, labelled it “the most intimate memoir that any food person has ever written” and it spawned not only a stage play but also a TV production shown on BBC One.
"Our production is the story of Nigel’s childhood, told through the tastes and smells he grew up with,” continued the Lion Theatre company spokesperson.
"From making the perfect sherry trifle to waging war over cakes, and from the pressured playground politics of sweets to the rigid rules of restaurant dining, this is a story of love, loss and toast.”
The Lion Theatre, at Bull Ring, and the Horncastle company continue to go from strength to strength. They aim to put on a varied programme of six productions a year at the historic theatre, which was established in 1988 and was given a full refurbishment in 2016.
Rehearsals take place on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. And thanks to the hard work and generosity of volunteers, the theatre’s future looks bright too because it runs two youth groups – one for seven-to-11-year-olds, which meets on Saturday mornings, and one for 14-to-18-year-olds on Friday evenings. The company is always on the lookout for new members.
Tickets for ‘Toast’ in the intimate 96-seat auditorium are bound to sell fast. To grab yours, pop into the Kennedy’s gift shop at Bull Ring or go online at www.horncastletheatre.co.uk They are priced at £8 each (concessions £7).