Words: Caitlin Finnerty

4 stars

Consumed is a searing, pitch-black drama that slowly unpacks the emotional inheritance of four generations of Northern Irish women brought together under one roof for a 90th birthday no one really wants to celebrate. 

At first glance, the set feels like a wholesome sitcom kitchen; warm lighting, potatoes boiling, friendly chatter. But beneath the surface: mould, hoarding, unspoken traumas, and family histories left to rot. Karis Kelly’s writing is razor-sharp, blending comedy and cruelty with eerie precision. Granny’s one-liners break the tension, while her woke English granddaughter tries (and mostly fails) to cut through generations of silence.

Each character teeters on the edge of a breakdown, masking emotional wounds with brittle smiles and brittle-er jokes. “It’s just the way we do things” becomes a chilling refrain. The house, and the women in it, slowly unravel, revealing secrets, resentments, and inherited pain buried just below the surface.

Kelly’s play confronts a difficult truth: trauma doesn’t die with us. It lingers in DNA, in behaviours, in kitchens that once felt safe. Consumed made me laugh, wince, and most of all, feel grateful for the relationships I often take for granted. This is a hauntingly truthful portrayal of what happens when a family finally runs out of places to hide.

Turn your phone off. This dinner’s not for the faint-hearted.

Consumed 
Traverse Theatre
14:00, 
Aug 5-24,
1 hour 20 mins