Husbands for breakfast

If ever there was a play that missed the mark in my years of watching plays, then it must be Heartstrings latest play Husband for Breakfast.

The plot was, at best, harried, devoid of the key ingredients that make up the Heartstrings plays that I have come to know and love: Improvisation, Kenyanness and spot-on humour.

It seemed like a jumbled up version of a cross between a Festival of Creative arts play and a Phoenix Theatre play.

Themed around infidelity, the plot revolved around two philanderers and a thief/conman trying to outwit one another- in the non-wittiest ways.

The stage had props- for the first time in a long while, and my heart was filled with anticipation going into the rather stuffy theatre( Has Alliance Françoise always been as stuffy , I wonder), because the stage was beautifully set.

One would expect that with a cast like Nairobi Half Life’s  Anthony Ndung’u and Maina Olwenya , the play would take a life of its own but alas. Maina Olwenya, inspite his best efforts, seemed rather overwhelmed by the heat in the theatre, which dimmed his performance.

If you are used to prolonged laughter from the narrator and actors that Heartstrings has always treated us to, then this may not be the play for you.

Credit, however, must be given where it is due. Yes, you will laugh- but probably not as hard as you are used to.

Yes, there is Kenyanness- but only in the names of the characters and a few Kenyan references here and there.

See details of the play below

Directed by: Sammy Mwangi
Dates: 4th – 9th Feb 2014
Times: 6.30pm weekdays, 3 & 6.30pm weekends
Venue: Alliance Française
Charges: 500/=
Call: 0722 0737745541
Paybill No.: 747722
Cast: George acted by Anthony Ndung’u of (Nairobi Half Life)
Marvin acted by Olwenya (Nairobi Half Life)
Jane acted by Aiméé of (CHANNEL O)