This week, A Play, a Pie and a Pint returns to the format that best suits light lunchtime entertainment: a straightforward narrative that ties up its loose ends over the course of about 45 minutes.
The Tarot Reading takes place in the seedier part of Chicago, with filmmakers Moira (Suzanne Donaldson) and Vanessa (Noreen Leighton) arriving to shoot a documentary about women in the meatpacking industry. The topic turns from filmmaking to homemaking with the intervention of Madame Santos (Gowan Calder), the tarot card reader - and skilled liar - with a shop set up across the street.
Yule's examination of what women give up to lead 'perfect lives' in today's age does well early on, although it becomes subtler as the play continues. The story's final outcome is hopeful for our two characters, but does suggest that the desire to 'have it all' only results in women missing out on the key aspects of what they hope to accomplish.
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