Review Salt 'n' Sauce

THEATRE This autumn's Theatre West season at the Alma Tavern had thus far been a big success, with a trio of funny, well-acted and engagingly off-centre plays. They fell down slightly, though, with this one. Tim Massey's play is about a, er, play going up to the Edinburgh Fringe. So, we've got: John (playwright), embittered by years of struggling to make the Fringe; Emily (lighting girl), on whom John nurtures an unspoken crush; and Paul (director), camp, flamboyant and splendidly indifferent to the feelings of all around him. They hit town; they try, and fail, to drum up interest by leafleting shoppers on the Royal Mile; finally, they watch their play limp through its run before single-figure audiences. Great premise, and some good pathos at the end as the trio part company over cold poppadoms and warm beer, their Edinburgh adventure over. The rest of the time, though, the audience spends as underwhelmed as the protagonists. The language and ideas are thin, with nothing original to say about the whole struggling-luvvie experience (and a host of easy targets - bloody mime artists, the Scottish 'diet' - yawn, yawn!). The performances (Simon Winkler's silky/snarly Paul apart) are similarly lifeless. A blip in the TW season, perhaps highlighting the quality of the rest. (Steve Wright)

SALT 'N' SAUCE IS AT THE ALMA TAVERN, BRISTOL, UNTIL SAT 11 NOV.