My English Persian Kitchen
★★★★☆ Fulfilling
Traverse (Venue 15): Thu 1 – Sun 25 Aug 2024
Review by Hugh Simpson
Soho Theatre and the Traverse’s My English Persian Kitchen may deal with some potentially difficult issues but is ultimately a celebration – of life, of community and of the possibilities of theatre.
While we are used to productions based on a variety of sources in other media, one based on a cookery book is still a novelty. Hannah Khalil’s play takes its inspiration from Atoosa Sepehr’s From A Persian Kitchen and the story behind it.
Isabella Nefar in My English Persian Kitchen. Pic: Ellie Kurttz
The story is centred on the making of ash reshteh, a noodle and herb soup from Iran, that is cooked on stage throughout the performance. Indeed, even before seeing performer Isabella Nefar starting to prepare the dish, the smell of freshly chopped herbs gives away what is going on.
Khalil’s adaptation is not a strict retelling of Sepehr’s story, but the unnamed protagonist is based on her. She flees an abusive husband in Iran and moves to London overnight – a story told in a series of flashbacks. These, like the cooking, are so carefully woven into the narrative that it is only in retrospect that it is clear quite how clever the structure is.
clarity and economy
Which is not to say that it is seamless; on the contrary, the joins in the story draw attention to themselves. Dan Balfour’s sound design, Marty Langthorne’s tremendously inventive lighting and Jess Tucker-Boyd’s movement direction signal the transitions from the present day to more traumatic events in the past with clarity and economy.
Yet Khalil’s script and director Chris White’s almost ludicrously sure-footed direction always bring us back to the kitchen and Nefar’s command of the situation.
It should not be underestimated just what a balancing act Nefar is performing here, in a narrative that is at times emotionally stark but with a central persona that is inviting and inclusive.
For in the end, the overriding message is of how cooking not only can bring people together, but it can conjure up a sense of belonging when you can’t go home again.
Running time: one hour 10 minutes (no interval)
Traverse Theatre (Traverse 2), 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED (Venue 15)
Thursday 1 – Sunday 25 August 2024
Various times (see website for details)
Details and tickets: Book here.
Traverse website: Further details.
Producer website: https://sohotheatre.com
Instagram: @sohotheatre
Facebook: @sohotheatre
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Isabella Nefar in My English Persian Kitchen. Pic: Ellie Kurttz
ENDS
