What is home? This is what Ana asks and in doing so we ask ourselves this question. Presented by Notnow Collective we are gifted a play Pepper and Honey - a quietly powerful, deeply human poignant piece of theatre that lingers long after the final moment - like the faint, spiced sweetness of something just baked, still warm in the air. Set against the backdrop of post-Brexit Britain, it asks a deceptively simple question -what is home? - and answers it with tenderness, humour, and aching honesty.
At the centre is Ana, brought vividly to life by Tina Hofman. Her performance is nothing short of captivating. Hofman moves with remarkable fluidity between Ana and her grandmother, shifting voice, posture, and presence so seamlessly that the boundary between past and present begins to blur. One moment she is a young woman trying to settle into a new country; the next, she is speaking Croatian with hunched slightly, softer, older -hands busy with dough, voice laced with memory. These transitions feel almost dreamlike, as if we are watching thoughts rather than scenes.
Written by Kristina Gavran, the play delicately explores the tension between heritage and reinvention. Gavran’s writing is subtle and poetic, allowing meaning to unfold gently rather than declaring it outright. The recurring image of the traditional Croatian pepper biscuits is woven throughout with quiet precision. They become more than food - they are a symbol of love, longing, and the invisible thread that ties Ana to her past. As the grandmother bakes, hoping to call her granddaughter home, the scent of imagined spice seems to drift through the space, wrapping the audience in something both comforting and bittersweet.
This symbolism deepens through the play’s most memorable device: audience participation. When the audience is invited to take part in “making” the biscuits, the atmosphere softens into laughter and warmth. It feels communal, almost ritualistic. Yet beneath the lightness is something more poignant - we are all, in some way, recreating pieces of home, shaping identity with our own hands.
Hofman’s connection with the audience is striking. She catches the eyes of individuals, holding their gaze just long enough to feel personal, disarming. In these moments, the play quietly turns outward, asking us to reflect on ourselves - who we are when we are far from where we began, and what we hold onto to belong. The use of the Croatian language is clever and connects actor and audience.
There is also a thoughtful, gently humorous reflection on place, particularly through the lens of a newcomer. Ana’s observations of her favourite parts of Birmingham feel fresh and affectionate, celebrating its diversity and character in a way that reminds us how a city can be re-seen through new eyes.
Adding another layer of intimacy to the evening was the audience presence of both the writer and producer - Kristina Gavran and Laura Stone - in the audience. It created a sense that this story was not just being performed but shared - held carefully between those who made it and those experiencing it.
Ultimately, Pepper and Honey is a play of love, loss, culture, and new beginnings. It is gentle without being slight, humorous without losing depth, and deeply resonant. Like the biscuits at its heart, it is sweet, spiced, and quietly unforgettable - leaving behind not just a taste, but a feeling of something half-remembered, half-reimagined, and wholly human.
