Review: Diane’s Deli at the Stafford Gatehouse

Writer and Director: Joe O’Byrne

Tale from Paradise Hights is a series of intertwined plays by Joe O’Byrne. Diane’s Deli is the latest production on tour and keeps you engaged and guessing until the very end – undergoing twists and turns that O’Byrne is becoming known for.

It all starts very relaxed – a quiant little cafe, with only the vintage superficial smile stickers on the gum ball machine staring, giving you a growing sense of uncomfort. It’s then when you hear the gulping and gasping of a voice that peirces the start of the action and starts you questioning what has happened to get us to this point.

The first act builds up slowly, introducing Sean, the cafe owner and his staff Jake (Ross Thompson) and Gabrielle (Jo Malone), who share a youthful, blossoming connection together.

Malone’s portrayal of Gabrielle is strong, particularly during revelations in Act Two, where they play alongside O’Byrne and unravel an important part of Sean’s complex past. Thompson meanwhile creates a complicated yet sincere youthful student playwright.

If anything, you do want to find out more about these characters. However, not too dismililar to a long-running drama, O’Byrne’s writing is clever. He gives you enough to make the characters relatable and real, further development and exploration opportunities within the rest of the Paradise Heights series.

It’s the entry of Emma Laidlaw as Cassandra that triggers a sharp increase in pace and tension. By the end of Act One, you’ll have more questions than answers, but revelations start to happen, and by the end, you’ll be on the edge of your seat gear for everything to unravel.

O’Byrne’s Sean is a hugely complex character. With a troubled past, a complicated history while also being on the face of it, a cool and collected deli owner, it’s a massive task, but being his own script, O’Bryne takes it in his stride.

The scene changes would benefit from being complete in blackouts. However, with the strength of the plot, it doesn’t pull you out of the action too much, and you still get swept up in the story. The simple yet effective set also does well to set the scene with hints of red striking through.

Diane’s Deli is a carefully structured, engaging peice of drama that keeps you guessing. With themes of murder, secrets, dark humour, and plenty of surfaced secrets, It undoubtedly leaves you wanting to see more tales from Paradise Heights.

Value for Money Comments:

A well performed, medium scale play with tickets available for £20.

🎁This production was gifted in exchange for a fair and balanced review 🎁