By Grace Hatchell 2nd Act Couriers
Grace Hatchell had a brief moment of confusion when this press release landed in her satchel. A show directed by Grace Taylor? Written by Emily Rose Simons? For a second, I wondered if I’d accidentally commissioned myself while sleep-deprived and standing too close to the post sorting office kettle.
Alas, no — this is a different Grace entirely. And thankfully, one with a very good sense of theatre.
How To Make a Mess: A Totally Unauthorised Love Letter to Nigella Lawson arrives Upstairs at the Gatehouse this summer, and it’s the sort of show that would make Nigella herself raise an approving eyebrow and pour another glass of something indulgent. It’s luxuriant, mischievous, and deeply comforting — the theatrical equivalent of being told that butter is not only allowed, but encouraged.
Written and composed by Emily Rose Simons and directed by the other Grace (not me, sadly), the musical leans wholeheartedly into pleasure over punishment. Food is never just food here. It’s memory, ritual, rebellion — and occasionally, survival.
At the heart of the story is Anna, played by Natasha Karp, who inherits an unexpected item after the death of her estranged mother: Nigella Lawson’s How to Eat. Not cash. Not heirlooms. A cookbook. Along with it comes an imagined Nigella, played by Tanya Truman, who materialises as comfort, counsel and a gently persuasive voice reminding Anna — and all of us — that feeding yourself properly is an act of care, not indulgence.
I’ll admit, as a Grace watching another Grace at work, I felt an unreasonable sense of kinship. A sort of professional courtesy. If you’re going to share a first name with me in the theatre world, the least you can do is deliver something this warm, confident and quietly affecting.
Previously titled Becoming Nigella, the show has been carefully developed through work-in-progress sharings at Oxford Playhouse, The Other Palace Studio and Manchester Jewish Museum, and it shows. There’s a confidence here — a trust in the audience, and in the power of small moments — that feels earned rather than overstated.
How To Make a Mess isn’t really about Nigella Lawson, not exactly. It’s about what she represents. Permission. Pleasure. Care without apology. It’s about grief that doesn’t shout, healing that doesn’t rush, and the small bravery of choosing to nourish yourself when the world feels thin.
And for the record, no — I did not direct this. But if I had, I’d be very pleased with myself.
https://www.upstairsatthegatehouse.com/
Price: Previews £18, Standard £25, Final week £27
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