Sufficient Carbohydrate

By Dennis Potter

Synopsis:

“I’ve been wondering where the hell you got the idea that adultery is a little piece of adult behaviour that doesn’t matter very much any more. It’s just an entertainment, right? Something up there in lights to make us snigger and chortle, all we sophisticates. Don’t you know the endless – endless – ache of it - ?”

It should have been an idyllic holiday: a luxury Greek island villa, hot sun, unlimited wine, beach side tavernas and the blue Adriatic Sea lapping on the shore. But for Jack and Elizabeth Barker, their American host Senior Executive Eddie Vosper is an irritating reminder of a recent company buy-out which has resulted in Jack assuming a subordinate position in the Barker family firm.

Supposedly enjoying rest and relaxation in order to bond under the Greek sun, it soon becomes apparent that Eddie – holidaying with his sixteen year old son Clayton and second wife Lucy – is not just after Jack’s business. The cool and attractive Elizabeth has caught his eye and suddenly Jack’s furious outbursts both in the boardroom and now on the beach become more explicable. Add to the mix a sensitive, articulate and dreamy adolescent, poised on the edge of manhood and surrounded by forbidden yearnings and unspoken desires, and we have an explosive cocktail.

Any fan of Dennis Potter, whose compelling plays Pennies From Heaven and The Singing Detective delighted television audiences in the ‘70s and ‘80s will be thrilled with this, his first stage play, published in 1983. Next Stage Theatre Company toured its acclaimed production of Potter’s Blue Remembered Hills to Patron Alan Ayckbourn’s Stephen Joseph Theatre in Scarborough. The company is delighted to be staging another masterpiece by one of Britain’s leading 20th Century playwrights.

Pre-show supper available Thursday-Saturday 6pm, please see menu below.
£15, available in advance on 01225 428600

With grateful thanks to this show's Angels

This show was performed at The Mission Theatre, Bath in March 2011.

Supper menu:

Beef Stifado (traditional Greek casserole)
or
Leek and Ricotta tarts on rye pastry
or
Apple and blueberry strudel
or
Pineapple, rum and coconut salad
or
Teas and coffees to finish.

Director/s | Cast:

Ann Garner

Director

Richard Matthews

Jack Barker

Cara Aldous

Elizabeth Barker

Mark Sanders

Eddie Vosper

Sam Curtis

Lucy Vosper

Tom Ash-Miles

Clayton

Review/s of Sufficient Carbohydrate:

Review 1: Clash of cultures explored in a luxurious setting

A play which explores the competitive relationship between two businessmen will be on at the Mission Theatre next week. On Tuesday Next Stage will reclaim the theatre with Dennis Potter's Sufficient Carbohydrate. The story follows British businessman Jack Barker and his American counterpart Eddie Vosper, who are both employed by the same multi-national food processing firm and are on holiday together…click here to read the whole review.

By Bath Chronicle

Review 2: Chronicle Review

Dennis Potter's first play and the only one written solely for the stage in 1983, was performed in London and virtually nowhere else since. This is somewhat surprising as it's a fascinating play where Potter parades his passions and prejudices with his gift for glittering, acid dialogue. So, instead of Potter, we get oft repeated plays by somewhat more celebrated authors where the dialogue's great…click here to read the whole review.