The Big Cheese at Golden Goose Theatre Review
Bylli Gomez is endearing and relatable in this highly comedic (and ridiculous) play about working in a cheese shop.
Originally written for TV, Gomez adapted the script for stage this year to see how it would fare with live audiences. Running at just over 40 minutes, this production is a whole lot of fun, and with laughs that just keep coming.
We meet Bee: thirty years old, a recovering alcoholic, and still living with her mum. She’s been applying for jobs for far too long, and is determined to snag her ‘dream job’ working in a “posh cheese shop”. She excels in her interview, and is instantly offered a trial shift for the next day.
Naturally, things do not go to plan and, after smashing three thousand pounds worth of parmesan on the shop floor, Bee makes a run for it.
It’s all very farcical, and reminiscent of famous British comedy-dramas like ‘Friday Night Dinner’ or ‘Mandy’, where everything that possibly could go wrong, goes wrong.
Gomez is a delight as Bee, and as is the ensemble of actors in the supporting cast. Tom Estall is hilarious as the cynical cheese shop owner, and is complimented nicely by Luiza McDowell, who seems a little more on board with Bee’s antics. Christian McKeon plays George, Bee’s sort-of-boyfriend slash situationship, who is more interested in his video games than in his relationship. He’s a joy to watch on stage, with a magnetic air about him so well-suited to comedy.
Aidan Witten is fabulous as Freddie, the 19-year-old musician Bee drags off the streets to sleep with. He is also the co-writer of the music for the show, and showcases more of this talent in playing his guitar on stage, too. His parents, and the antagonists (if you can call them that) of the show, are played by Roger Parkins and Ava de Winter. They are hugely dramatic and delicious in their caricature-like portrayals of Freddie’s overbearing, middle-class parents.
The show’s biggest strength is probably the script, which is witty and fast-paced. There are moments which border on cringe, but the hilarity of it all is enough to make you forget about that.
It will be very interesting to see where this concept goes next, whether that be to further live audiences, or even to TV! I think there’s a pretty wide appeal for work like this, as there’s very little to dislike. Gomez’s writing feels fresh and relatable, and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
★★★★
Written by Sarah P for Theatre and Tonic, October 2026.