The cast of Recipe for a Perfect Wife

What with the current Mad Men-inspired vogue for the 1950s, complete with recessionista vintage, austerity chic and economy cuisine, it’s no surprise that the era and its many idiosyncracies would be considered a delightful theme for a stage setting, in this new show from young theatre company PapaC Productions.

Recipe For a Perfect Wife is fairly delightful; a witty, glossy satire on the trials and tribulations of the mid-century English marriage (English only – in one moment of beef-inspired comedy it becomes clear that patriotic values are no joke). Five women, each of them that bit more perfect than the last, are jostling it out for the dubious nod of being named ‘Britain’s Best Housewife’.

As we progress through the absurdly wonderful rounds, sending the unlucky ones off with a fond ‘cheerio’, the sniping and sneering becomes increasingly barbed. This is politeness with an undercurrent of poison; “I don’t put my face on before my husband gets up in the morning” reveals the glossy blonde. The aghast looks from her fellow contestants say it all.

There’s a touch of Carry On fun about the proceedings, from the advertising interludes sending up the best of fifties marketing to the glorious ‘recipe’ for faultless wifedom.

The cast is generally excellent, not least for maintaining their megawatt ‘happy housewife’ smiles even while delivering the most cringe-making of lines. Matt Houlihan is a particular treat excellent as the leering, lascivious game-show host modelled upon a younger Bruce Forsyth, while Emma West had a hint of Tilda Swinton-esque poise as Joan, the most stiff-upper-lipped of all the housewives.

Particularly affecting are the monologues, delivered by each wife as they are pushed out of the contest. Inevitably, these women look like cookie-cutter model housewives, but there is a touch of the Betty Draper about them as they articulate unspoken ambition, quashed dreams and hidden desires.

What was missing from an otherwise enjoyable show was more of this. We were given just the one glimpse into the back-story of each of our heroines, and while a great taster, it wasn’t enough. As a musical-comedy with its tongue firmly in its cheek, this was never going to address the feminist issues that arose out of the Stepford generation, but some more character development would have been welcome.

Nonetheless, it’s a laugh worth a look. The costumes are as fabulous as you might expect – all swirling polka dots and curve-enhancing shapes and the show offers a host of classic tunes to sing along to. It might not be Shakespeare, but as the wives themselves might put it, it’s a jolly good treat.

Recipe for a Perfect Wife plays at the King’s Head Theatre until September 4th.

The trailer for PapaC Productions’ Recipe For a Perfect Wife