Theatre N16, which recently took over the performance space of the aptly named ‘Styx’, located in the far reaches of North-East London, is a bare concrete space which provides a stark and edgy backdrop to any production. The sheer coolness of the former ambulance depot turned swinging hotspot is undeniable, as is the creep of gentrification steadily making its way up the Victoria line. Rough-and-ready as the space itself, Cold Chips by Isabelle Stokes is the first full-length play from Tiny Theatre Company. Though lacking in polish and finesse, the piece has grit and heart enough to strike a chord with anyone who has ever found themselves a bit directionless or in need of a friend.

This compact two-hander spans a couple of months in the lives of a pair of best friends. Ryan (Hippolyte Poirer) adrift in his mid-twenties and the ostensibly sensible and put-together Ella (Olivia May Roebuck) meet every week on the same bench, share memories and, well, cold chips. Stokes’ portrayal of a friendship between a young man and woman is refreshingly platonic. They bicker like siblings or an old married couple, each sympathetic and frustrating. Their problems are easy to relate to; Stokes has an ear for easy and naturalistic dialogue. Together, Roebuck and Poirer create characters that have an easy rapport and likeable energy.

This incarnation of the piece has been extended from a short play, and it shows. There isn’t quite enough plot here to flesh out an hour long production. Director Alexandra Brailsford has added bumf with a couple of playful little vignettes between scenes, accompanied by an array of modern pop songs. Admittedly, they’re fun to watch and they do succeed in breaking up the narrative and building up the relationship between the two characters in a short space of time. It comes with a dose of ‘banter’ and most of the funny one-liners land well with the audience. That said, there are one too many jokes about avocados for my liking.

Cold Chips is certainly heart-warming, if not particularly adventurous. It does what it says on the tin – but in my opinion this is a good thing. There seems to be a tendency with new writing at the moment to be edgy or esoteric, which usually comes off as a bit try-hard. Stokes’ writing avoids this pitfall in that it is an easy watch that doesn’t demand too much of its spectators. Stokes’ writing style is perhaps better suited to writing for TV than for the theatre, as I can really see these characters developing over the course of an episodic series. Her work may not be the best fit for Fringe theatre, but she has the makings of a decent sitcom writer.

Like its namesake, Cold Chips isn’t particularly ambitious or sophisticated, but it is familiar and heart-warming, and leaves its audience satisfied. To their credit, both actors munch their way through an admirable quantity of the stuff throughout the piece. I am a bit jealous, and buy chips on my way home.

 

Cold Chips is playing at Theatre N16 until 27th September. For more information and tickets, see here.