Review: Thanks For Having Me, Riverside Studios - fun with plenty of laughs
10/04/2025
Young love and lust and what it means to be in a relationship are the themes in actor/writer Keelan Kember's new comedy play Thanks For Having Me.
Cashel (Kember) interrupts his friend Honey's (Kedar Williams-Stirling) attempts to get his date Maya (Adeyinka Akinrinade) into bed when he turns up heartbroken, having just split up from his girlfriend.
Honey is confident around women and has his signature routine for getting his dates to sleep with him, which involves pretending he doesn't do that sort of thing, but he can't commit and never sees anyone more than a few times.
Cashel is a neurotic overthinker who falls sickeningly in love but is loyal.
Honey can't let go of control and be vulnerable, and Cashel can't temper his emotions; he doesn't have much of a filter.
Maya is clever and has Honey's number but also has a friend who might help take Cashel's mind off his split: Eloise (Nell Tiger Free).
Keelan Kember's play is about self-discovery without being particularly revelatory. It challenges some lazy gender stereotypes, but look closely, and you'll find the odd clunky moments.
But these fall into the shadow because it's funny; the play's superpower is in its humour.
Most of the laughs centre on Cashel as he tries to keep it casual with Eloise. The sitcom-esque script is peppered with witty lines, and the performances are subtly comedic, particularly Kember's.
It's a fun and entertaining play, and I'm looking forward to seeing how Keelan Kember's writing develops.
I'm giving Thanks for Having Me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks for Having Me, Riverside Studios
Written by Keelan Kember
Directed by Monica Cox
Starring: Adeyinka Akinrinade, Keelan Kember, Kedar Williams-Stirling and Nell Tiger Free
Running time: 85 mins Booking until 26 April for more information and to buy tickets visit the Riverside Studios website
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