Review: Spoons

Brenda's been a couples counsellor for 35 years. During this time, she has solely focused on helping her clients rather than on her own needs. When she meets Anita, newly retired, single and living an outrageously carefree life, Brenda is inspired to make some changes and focus on herself. This farce by Jon Canter has some fantastically funny moments resulting from dramatically contrasting characters, though the plot has some significant gaps that makes the story feel on the thin side.

In between Brenda and Anita's scenes regular clients, married couple Charlie and Apples, share their honest resentment towards each other while Brenda attempts to provide a calming influence and promote healthy exchange. Their barbs are the source of a lot of laughter, though sometimes their viciousness crosses the line from funny to abusive. 

Their journey, like Brenda and Anita's, often feels rushed. Though it wouldn't work for the Fringe's time constraints, the story would flow better if the play was longer. This would also allow for a clearer journey for Brenda, particularly in terms of her relationship with Anita. It would also mean the characters would be able to be more thoroughly detailed.

Though the play feels somewhat unfinished, there is certainly scope to expand it. The crux of the story is there, as are the characters. The cast's comic timing and Canter's dialogue is on point, but they all deserve more time to share their growth.