Review: Thanks For Having Me (Riverside Studios)

Review by Daz Gale

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After an acclaimed run at the King’s Head Theatre earlier this year, Keelan Kember’s Thanks For Having Me gets a swift transfer to a bigger space, moving in to Riverside Studios for a limited run. Could this new comedy about relationships, dating and break ups make audiences fall in love or would I find myself struggling to commit?

Thanks For Having Me sees the neurotic overthinking 30-year-old Cashel attempt to deal with the breakup of his long term relationship. Moving in with his best friend, Honey, he attempts to navigate the single life using the tools and the tips Honey is giving him. Meanwhile, Honey is perfectly happy with his bachelor lifestyle, never committing to a relationship and following his own rules he tries to instil on Cashel – all that is threatened, however, when he finds himself breaking his own rules. As both men struggle to make sense of their feelings and how to deal with dating in their 30s, will they have to let go of the old versions of themselves?

Written by Keelan Kember, Thanks For Having Me feels very much like a sitcom, though it works better on the stage than many others who have attempted that style. With Cashel and Honey very much forming a classic odd couple style pairing, the opportunity for humour is utilised at every opportunity. Exaggerating certain aspects of the whole world of bachelor life, dating and break ups while still feeling relatable, the show beautifully navigates these messy worlds, striking a fine balance between reality and comedy.

Kember’s writing is incredibly special to watch, full of richness and a natural flair for comedy with regular laugh-out-loud moments and an authentic progression in the situations and the changes both the male characters find themselves on. The only slight criticism I have is that not all of the characters are evenly carved out, with Cashel, the character Kember plays himself, the more realised by far. We get teases of Honey though this could have been added to in some way. While the two women are relegated to mere glimpses in their own stories. Though the story centres around the two housemates first and foremost, a compare and contrast story with the two women we meet in the story could allow for an even richer version of the story. Currently an 80 minute singular act, it feels as if there is more that could be told with this story and could benefit from adding even more to it – that said, it is already in pretty fine form as it is.

Monica Cox’s direction brings Kember’s writing to life, making full use of Ellie Wintour’s detailed design of Cashel and Honey’s home. A meticulous look at Cashel’s mannerisms and how these change as his attitude to his love life adapts throughout provides moments that aren’t just humorous but feel very real in their approach, while the use of movement and how each of the four performers carry themselves adds to the success of the play.

The standout performer in Thanks For Having Me by a clear mile is Keelan Kember himself. Taking on the role of Cashel, he is front and centre in the action, very rarely leaving the stage. It is the best written role and the most fleshed out by far, leaving Kember with lots to play with in his characterisation. Though Cashel is quite a comedic character in himself with his multiple neuroses played up to humorous effect in the first half of the play, the actual portrayal of the role feels authentic, making the role all the more impactful. An instantly loveable character and one you find yourself rooting for, Kember is an absolute joy to watch in the role.

As Honey, Kedar Williams-Stirling starts out as the perceived main character of the play, only to fade more into the background when Cashel first appears. Though his story works in tandem with Cashel’s, he finds himself with increasingly less to do – a shame as Williams-Stirling is sensational in the role with a smooth coolness that proves to be the polar opposite to Cashel, ebbing away to see a reversal of roles as their situations unfold. Williams-Stirling is a complete joy to watch and his winning dynamic with Kember means the stage lights up when the two are interacting.

Nell Tiger Free is intriguing in her role as Eloise. The differing dynamic she has with Kember’s Cashel proves fascinating to watch in a game of cat and mouse, though she suffers from being drastically underwritten. The glimpses we get into her backstory left me wanting more which in itself is probably a credit to both Kember’s writing and her own performance. Similarly, Adeyinka Akinrinade has little to do, completing the cast as Maya. Though her confident performance can prove electric to watch, the character seems to only exist for Honey to play with which is a shame as the only moment we get to know her towards the climax of the play shows how much more we could have got in the previous scenes.

Thanks For Having Me is a tricky one to review because there is no doubt about how good it is and no question of it ever dipping below a 4 star rating. The problem (and this is a good problem to have) is that it could be even better with only the most minor of tweaks. Keelan Kember’s writing is already fantastic and never waivers throughout – I just got the overwhelming sense that this isn’t the finished product just yet and the best may still be to come for this exciting new production. No matter what happens, I’ll be following it along the way – it might not be ready for a lifelong relationship just yet but it’s certainly more than good enough for a bit of fun in the meantime.

Thanks For Having Me plays at Riverside Studios until 26th April. Tickets from www.riversidestudios.co.uk

Photos by Oliver Kember