Sobremesa is your binge-watch, fan favourite TV box set brought to the stage. If you enjoy relationship drama with feminist undertones, then stay at the table for a few drinks. Things move with momentum, but the acting and moments of generic writing leave the story a little haphazard.
The title of the show, in Spanish meaning the period after eating a meal when guests sit and chat, drink and generally digest any interesting stories or events, is a thrilling placement for this drama. The three actors move with purpose around the space: they know their characters’ weight in the scene. And really this is what the performance becomes: a kind of to-and-fro, a sort of tug-of-war between characters. Jamie (Benjamin Sumrie), the villainous misogynist, is painted in perhaps a few too many binary, primary colours, and his girlfriend, Billie (Athena Vachlos), sits in the middle of the drama. She is the rock, the glue of the play. At the other end is Alma (Alejandra Dean), who is protective and stern. She maintains her relationship with her sister at all costs; she cannot be moved or shaken.
Following rape accusations, the writing often turns didactic too fast, although it is an incredibly important story to tell. The suggestion that Billie’s new boyfriend has connections to rape allegations is a little over-emphasised. It undermines other aspects of the piece and narrows the narrative a little too finely. Dialogue is, however, highly engrossing for an eager audience. While watching, you cling to every word, despite the lack of movement in the narrative and the stationary table centre stage.
The moments of transition do bring more issues. Sections where characters leave the space and re-enter are often oddly placed, especially as the piece goes on. These exits become almost farcical. In many ways, this is the key improvement for Sobremesa. It simply needs to take itself a lot more seriously and really engage with the pauses already mastered by the actors. More pauses are necessary, and a little less text would let the show find its own rhythm.
While performances are commendable, some moments lean towards inauthenticity. The actors do not have an easy task, with the tyrannous Jamie looming over things and making the action a little unbelievable as he is virile and overprotective, masculine and imposing. This makes moments feel quite stilted between performers, and Vachlos’ position a little awkward. There is a purposefully uncomfortable feel to the script in order to demonstrate the terrible place in which Billie is placed; however, it is not clear through many moments whether this is in part due to some tentative energy between performers.
Sobremesa, conceptually, is highly thought-provoking and has clearly had much thought behind it, yet this show craves a little more polish to pull through. It is your classic sobremesa: excessive and with a lot of intense conversation.
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