How to Make a Mess review – Nigella Lawson musical lacks a vital ingredient

Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London
To help her digest the grief of her mother’s death, a woman conjures the celebrity cook in this show written by Emily Rose Simons

A musical about Nigella Lawson makes sense – after all, the creamy-voiced, innuendo-spouting domestic goddess almost feels like a theatrical creation. Then again, inserting her indelible force into a production comes with challenges, especially when she isn’t the only star of the show – as in this fun but flawed two-hander written by Emily Rose Simons.

Anna’s estranged mother has just died and she is ignoring calls from her dad, who left when Anna was a child. As she opens his favourite cookbook, Nigella’s How to Eat, its exuberant author emerges from a spangly kitchen cupboard to help Anna process her grief, reconnect with her father and better care for herself – all by learning to cook.

At Upstairs at the Gatehouse, London, until 28 June