Neil LaBute’s play, Reasons to be Pretty, opened at the Almeida Theatre on 10 November. The Artful Diner went along to see what all the fuss was about, not forgetting dinner first…

Our Almeida evening began with an early dinner across the road, where head chef Alan Jones has recently revamped his menu. No longer a set two or three courses, diners can now choose to eat as much or little as they like from an updated à la carte menu.

As a result, we chose to forgo the pre-theatre menu to try more of Alan’s new dishes. To start, south coast scallops, cod brandade (a mini breadcrumbed fishcake) and shellfish bisque and the Cornish crab raviolo with buttered lettuce and beurre blanc; both new. For both of us the winning dish was the silky raviolo, which had a generous crabmeat filling and was made with a light touch, allowing the crab flavour to shine through.

There is plenty on offer for carnivores – think spiced Barbary duck, grilled British rib eye or pot roast pheasant – but I was surprised by how veggie-friendly the menu is. A wild mushroom and truffle risotto was a star with plenty of bite, earthy flavour and mushrooms (who wants mushroom risotto that isn’t brimming with mushrooms?).  Alan’s golden pithiviers [a type of puff-pastry tart originating in Pithiviers in the French region of Orléans] was filled with the creamy French goats cheese Sainte Maure, pumpkin and spinach. A piquant vine tomato sauce cut through all the creamy flavours and buttery pastry.

I discovered that serving soft, white, flaky fish with beans is an inspired idea. The pan-fried hake was served with a type of white bean mash and the two contrasting textures, one smooth and damp, the other rough and dry worked very well together.

My favourite dessert and, for me, contender for dish of the night was the Pain Perdu with salt caramel and caramelised walnuts. This is a type of bread pudding with a chewy, crusty top and wobbly belly of a middle, served with sweet, salty sauce and crunchy walnuts. Heaven. A perfect palate cleanser came courtesy of the pomegranate and apple jelly with poached rhubarb and Prosecco soup.

The Play

Having washed our dinner down with a glass of cold Sauvignon Blanc and paid the bill, we walked about ten paces to the Almeida Theatre.

In an earlier interview, the Almeida’s artistic director Sir Michael Attenborough described Neil LaBute’s Reasons to be Pretty as being about “how we become prisoners in our own body images”. In that sense, this is a play that everyone can relate to, because who, honestly, is unaffected by the way they look?

It opens to a blazing row between Greg, played by Tom Burke, and his girlfriend Steph (Siân Brooke). Steph’s best friend has overheard Greg describe her as “regular looking” when compared to another, younger and prettier girl. On finding out, Steph literally loses the plot. From then on, the whole relationship starts to unravel.

Their relationship contrasts starkly with that of their married best friends, Carly (Billie Piper) and Kent (Kieran Bew), who boasts about how gorgeous his wife is while simultaneously chasing after a hot younger colleague. Of all the characters, Kent is the most extreme – a particularly vile, chauvinistic creation – who Greg finally gets the gumption to deal with. This is, in many ways, a play about Greg learning to make more effort, whether in his career or relationships.

He doesn’t ever seem to really grasp why Steph is so hurt and watching him negotiate the tricky emotional territory ahead is a bit like watching a car crash in motion. Despite that, he demonstrates moments of real emotional maturity and gentle humanity; you can’t help rooting for their relationship to work out.

The pace is snappy with blasts of Queen accompanying each set change. Set designer Soutra Gilmour’s giant industrial container ingeniously morphs into a multitude of different locations and fits with the production’s pacy style.

A final, emotional scene was beautifully acted, leaving as many questions to be asked as were answered. Turns out there are plenty of reasons to be pretty, but whether or not it’s worth all the effort is another question altogether.

Further information

Book for pre- and post-theatre dining at the Almeida restaurant and for tickets to the play, which runs until 14 January.