My English Persian Kitchen – Traverse Theatre / Soho Theatre, London

A treat for the senses, My English Persian Kitchen celebrates hope, connection, and new beginnings. Don’t miss this London transfer to Soho Theatre.

My English Persian Kitchen

Have you ever found yourself transported by the smell or the taste of a dish?  It’s like a time machine and transporter all rolled into one, moving you in time and space to a moment with your family, your grandmother’s kitchen, a favourite meal shared with friends.  As much as there is a wonderful and never-ending variety of national dishes out there, that feeling, that sensory and emotional connection to food, is universal.

This is what makes My English Persian Kitchen an intriguing piece of theatre.  I was writing not so long ago about how I hadn’t seen cooking on stage for some time.  But 2024 seems to be the year for it.  And in this succinct tale of strength, family, loneliness and connection, we not only get to experience the smells and sights (and tastes!) of Persian cooking while we listen to our heroine’s story, we learn almost enough to go home and try to make Ash-E Reshteh (a herby noodle soup) for ourselves.  Think of it as a play, cooking lesson and testimony rolled into one.

Our unnamed heroine (unless she was named in some of the Farsi dialogue and I didn’t realise) leaves an abusive marriage.  But she is almost immediately reminded of the power her husband holds.  If she can flee before he blocks her from leaving the country she is free (to fight to regularise her status elsewhere). If not, she is trapped.  And so she must leave everything behind: belongings, ingredients, and people.

A Perfect Blend

My English Persian Kitchen is written by Hannah Khalil, based on a story by Atoosa Sepehr drawn from her own experiences.  Its perspective on England and Londoners is a humorous yet uncomfortably recognisable one.  Our heroine worries that, if she can’t find a way through Londoners’ polite indifference, nobody would even notice if she disappeared.  The spectre of her husband and his hold over her looms large.  And so cooking – recreating recipes and substituting ingredients – becomes a distraction, a coping mechanism and a way to connect.

Isabella Nefar plays our heroine.  She brings the character to life, as well as her much-loved family.  Despite a short running time of 70 minutes this play demands a lot in terms from its cast of one.  Nefar must commit emotionally, tell a complex story, and not burn the onions. Nefar is also able to form a warm and immediate connection with the audience while doing all this. I would fail miserably where she multitasks admirably, and I think we can all forgive the odd stumble over lines.

Extending this to the production, we can also forgive a little technical hitch on press night, and a balance that’s perhaps slightly in favour of pulling off the cooking rather than the theatre. On the other hand, and not going too far into cooking metaphors, My English Persian Kitchen is the perfect blend of culturally specific and universal (in its treatment of abusive relationships, migration, and the loneliness of fresh starts).  Much of the run is already sold out, but get yourself a ticket if you can, and enjoy it in a spirit of openness and hunger (for stories or Ash-E Reshteh, either will do).

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3/5

My English Persian Kitchen on until 5 October 2024.  More info and tickets here.