Staged in the Seymour
Centre’s wide York Theatre, Sydney
Festival’s The Kitchen –
directed by Roysten Abel – is full of noise and light, but as a piece of
theatre, it is strangely lacking.
The stage is
dominated by a large golden tiered frame, seating twelve musicians, drummers,
each playing the mizhav, one of the world’s oldest percussion instruments. The
frame, like the drum itself, is shaped like a large pot-shaped vessel, and it
resounds with the sharp metallic beat of the drums, pounding and resounding with
intricate and furious rhythms. In front of the frame sit two cooks, each
preparing a giant pot of payasam (a type of kheer), which is later served in
the foyer following the performance.
