To tap into the comedic potential of a curry house whilst confronting the racial abuse endured by South Asian restaurant owners is a blend that many would call a recipe for disaster. But writer Nick Ahad and a talented two-man cast, who played both father and son as well as all the customers, served these contrasting themes with a panache that had the audience roaring with laughter one minute and sobered up the next. Ragged Edge Productions went to town when it came to audience-engagement, doing away with the traditional theatre layout and inviting the audience to sit at restaurant tables. But they did not stop there; at the centre of the stage was an actual chef, namely award-winning Sudha Shaha from Entouraj Restaurant in Droitwich Spa who cooked treats that were sampled by the audience during the interval.
As the audience took their seats, the chef prepped away, and the actors made conversation with people. One of the snippets of conversation I picked up was the revelation that the actors had met the chef not long before the performance. This made the parts of the play where the actors stepped out of character to ask the chef questions about cooking more impressive considering they had probably not been rehearsed many times if at all.
Whilst there were many laughable moments, the ones that stayed with me were from the interactions between the ‘first date couple’; the excessive coyness of Sarah and the haplessness of Bob whose attempts to make a good impression result in deeper holes for him but more laughs for the audience. Another couple we are introduced to are Rodney, a controlling husband and Janet who is determined to order what she wants. The outcome is one that is enjoyed by both the audience and the ‘first date couple’ who eye the drama from their table.
At the heart of the play is the relationship between the father and son who run the restaurant on contrasting beliefs. Ben, who the restaurant owner refers to as ‘Ben beta’, is a customer that draws attention to these contrasts. Ben comes to the restaurant alone on a particular night every year but orders for two. Whilst the son considers Ben a threat to customer retention, his aba knows better.
The most important aspect of the play was its addressing of the racial violence faced by South Asian restaurant owners. Early in the play, the son reminds his aba of the night in his childhood when he came home from work with a sauce-stained shirt. As the play unfolds, the father reveals the truth about that night which leaves the audience both horrified but hopeful about the worst and best of humanity.
The Chef Show was a unique experience, a blend of both live cooking show and play that featured larger than life characters but also delivered insight into a topic that is the concern of all.
Huma Khan
