At first glance, A Couple Decides What to Have for Dinner seems like a simple premise: a husband and wife sitting on their couch, debating their evening meal. But as their conversation meanders, it becomes clear that this is not just about dinner—it’s about their relationship, their sense of reality, and perhaps even their existence itself. I was at the performance on Monday night (24th March).
The dialogue is sharp, peppered with genuinely funny moments that feel effortless. The play has a touch of Seinfeld—a show about nothing that is, in fact, about everything. As the couple reminisces, questions their present, and casually mentions not having children, you start to wonder: Do they even know what day it is? Are they stuck in some kind of loop? A Christmas reference makes you second-guess whether they are fully aware of their own timeline.
The performances were impressively natural. The two actors had the ease of a couple who had been together for years—not resentful, not unhappy, but perhaps teetering on the edge of monotony.
Staged at The Butterfly in the CBD, this was a quietly compelling piece that took an everyday dilemma and turned it into something strangely existential.
A Couple Decides What to Have for Dinner is on all week as part of the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Tickets can be purchased below:
https://www.comedyfestival.com.au/browse-shows/a-couple-decides-what-to-have-for-dinner/
Dates: 24th – 30th March 2025
Time: 8:30pm
Written and directed by James Hazelden
Starring Amanda Buckley & Chris Saxton
