"Zorana Sadiq's 'food for thought' script is a delicious treat of a play. A nutritious mixture of terrific performances and surprising plot development I didn't see coming. Hilarious one minute, while poignantly touching the heart, the next minute."

A production I needed to digest slowly after leaving Crow's Studio Theatre because it's not what I thought it was.

It's oh, so good.

I wanted to savour every morsel of what I saw and heard.

'Comfort Food' is the story of Bette (Zorana Sadiq), a popular cooking show host who comes to a crossroads in her life, personally and professionally. Her television show is not as popular as it once was, and subtle changes in format often do not sit well with her. Her agent, Helen (voice of Aviva Armour-Orstroff), sometimes delivers this news.

Bette is also a single mother who experiences conflict with her son, Kit (Noah Grittani), also known as KitKat. At one time, the two of them were close. He even appeared on her television cooking show. Now, he's a sullen and withdrawn young man who spends much time online communicating with faceless 'friends' looking for Facebook likes. Kit's nebulous personal issues come to the forefront by the end of the play.

Bette is doing her best to cope with the stresses of maintaining her career as a single parent and dealing with her son's puzzling idiosyncrasies. Can she look forward to that next chapter in her life, or will everything go up in flames in the kitchen of her life?

Sim Suzer's set design of a television studio kitchen is terrific. She has meticulously placed appropriate kitchen props everywhere that add a touch of class to the setting. The cooking area is centre stage on wheels. It easily moves around to become other locales in Bette's life. What's clever is that Kit's computer workstation is hidden behind the central kitchen doors when the scene switches to his bedroom. Echo Zhou's lighting design focuses audience attention where necessary. Thomas Ryder Payne's sound design, combined with Tori Morrison's video, creates some suspenseful and intense plot moments where there's complete silence as the audience watches the video screens coming from Kit's bedroom/computer workstation.

Director Mitchell Cushman and playwright Zorana Sadiq have carefully woven a taut story of humour one minute and edge-of-the-seat intrigue the next. The script succinctly focuses on an understanding of 'the delicacy of familial love' aka 'comfort food,' as Sadiq writes in her playwright's programme note. Throughout the production, Bette desperately tries to connect with her son when she senses something is not right.

For Bette (and Sadiq), this very connection is nourishment that every parent is to provide to a child.

Sometimes it isn't always successful.

Once again, in her programme note, Sadiq worries, 'We have already spoiled things for [our children] so that they crave the wrong things.' Craving the wrong things and the aftermath is exactly what Sadiq focuses on. It's scary how many of our young people might get caught up in craving the wrong things, as Kit does.

It leaves the audience with ‘much to chew on’ as Director Cushman writes in his director’s programme note.

I've been doing that, Mitchell, most notably on your sound direction, which has produced excellent performances.

Zorana Sadiq always remains grounded in believability as Bette. Sadiq instinctively knows how to deliver a comical punch line zinger one minute. Not even a few minutes later, Sadiq conveys her frustration with Kit over what he has been doing online in her physical stature.

I’d like to keep an eye on Noah Grittani's work in the future. Given the scene's context, he plays several supporting roles grounded in truth.

Yet, it is his performance as Kit that is terrific to watch.

There's a seething anger within Grittani's Kit that continues bubbling hotter and hotter, to the point that I don't know if the scalding lid is going to blow off the pot. I am breathlessly silent when it does (be prepared for it), wondering if Grittani's Kit will lash out.

What’s the result of Grittani’s Kit lashing out?

That's the reason for seeing this thought-provoking production.

‘Comfort Food’ runs 90 minutes with no interval/intermission.

'Comfort Food' runs until June 8 in the Studio Theatre at Crow's, 345 Carlaw Avenue, Toronto. For tickets, call the Box Office at (647) 341-7390 or visit crowstheatre.com.

CROW'S THEATRE PRODUCTION IN ASSOCIATION WITH ZORANA SADIQ present

‘Comfort Food’ by Zorana Sadiq

Directed by Mitchell Cushman
Set and Props Designer: Sim Suzer
Associate Set and Costume Designer: Niloufar Zaiee
Sound Designer: Thomas Ryder Payne
Lighting Designer: Echo Zhou 周芷會
Video Designer: Tori Morrison
Voice of Helen: Aviva Armour-Orstroff
Stage Manager and Fight Captain: Meghan Speakman

Performers: Noah Grittani as KitKat and Zorana Sadiq as Bette