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After Sunday

 
Olivia Thompson Review by Olivia Thompson 3 Published: 23 Nov 2025 Bush Theatre Show Dates: 10 Nov 2025-20 Nov 2025

In Sophia Griffin’s After Sunday, four men sign up for a Caribbean cooking group led by the chipper occupational therapist Naomi (Aimée Powell). The participants are all hospital inpatients, so Naomi’s aim, beyond teaching the essentials of dumplings, plantain, and other cherished recipes, is to help them find goals, structure, and meaning in the everyday mix of their lives.

Each topic is important and substantial, but no single issue is fully explored.

The play unfolds largely within the kitchen. Only Naomi is shown in part of her natural habitat, occasionally stepping off the main stage to handle a flurry of phone calls with her family and employers.

The set, designed by Claire Winfield, is richly layered. Beyond the standard kitchen layout, props are used to reveal the psychological struggles simmering beneath the inpatients’ surfaces, including materials tucked away under the stage floor. The kitchen boasts a working stove and tap, though it’s a slight shame that less actual cooking happens than suggested.

The performances are uniformly strong, particularly David Webber as long-term patient Leroy, who mourns his estranged daughter while grappling with the prospect of his release. Corey Weekes, as the young and fiery Ty, serves as an effective comedic foil. Scene to scene, the energy stays high and the story remains gripping, which makes the transitional physical-movement sequences feel somewhat superfluous.

The plot stirs in a number of cultural and topical themes, especially the burnout of well-meaning NHS staff, masculinity (particularly among multi-generational British-Caribbean men), and the question of how successfully the NHS can reintegrate mentally vulnerable individuals into society. Each topic is important and substantial, but because the script so carefully portions out attention to each character, no single issue is fully explored.

Still, the play is a fascinating, engaging production and well worth seeing, even if it sizzles more than it pops.

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The Blurb:

“Maybe that’s what cooking is, you know. Home in a pocket.”

Ty, Leroy and Daniel have signed up to a new Caribbean cooking group. It’s led by their Occupational Therapist, Naomi, who really needs it to go well. Believing in the healing power of food, Naomi is brimming with plans to evoke memories of Sunday dinners at home with family, to get the men to talk, share and create something special.

But when you’re locked in a secure hospital, too much food for thought can be a bad thing.

Each Sunday the hospital is transformed with the smells and flavours of home, and together the four embark on a challenging journey of self-discovery where it’s not just the pans that threaten to boil over. As the heat in the kitchen rises, the group is forced to reckon with uncomfortable truths – not only about who they really are, but also to face what they did that led them to become trapped within the system.

The funny and affecting debut play from Bush Writers’ Group alum Sophia Griffin, After Sunday is a searing examination of the intertwining lives of four people as they fight to find hope for a better future. This world premiere production is directed by Belgrade Theatre Artistic Director Corey Campbell (Romeo and Juliet) and features live cooking on stage.