Review: “My English Persian Kitchen” – A Theatrical Feast

Is there anything more satisfying than a lovingly prepared meal? Perhaps, one that is served up alongside good theatre. My English Persian Kitchen by Hannah Khalil is a thoroughly flavourful feast of a play that transports its audiences into an Iranian kitchen through its aromatic delights.

Adapted from the real life of Atoosa Sepehr, the play tracks an unnamed woman’s swift escape from her abusive husband in Iran and her eventual settling in England. The account is rich in emotion and nostalgia, making it deeply poignant even without the glorious trimmings offered by Khalil. However, in this production, it is shared as the woman, portrayed by the tremendous Isabella Nefar, cooks up a delicious, fragrant ash-e-reshteh live on stage.

Watching Nefar perform feels like breaking bread together. She addresses the audience as if we were guests in her home. She reveals the secrets of her recipe while the scents of mint, parsley, frying garlic, and onions fill the air. Her speech hovers between that of a TV chef addressing viewers and a genuine friend, making us relax into her warm, soft narration as soon as she begins.

This gentle presence makes the moments when she is haunted by her husband’s violence all the more alarming. The kitchen light glares like a ghost from her past. Her husband’s voice disturbingly slithers into the present. The new London terrain brings a feeling of isolation: her words aren’t understood, and she is treated like an outsider. Iranian delicacies, even if prepared far from home, remain her only constant.

Food tells stories. Each plated dish serves a memory. Although written as a love letter to an Iranian kitchen, Khalil’s script explores the more universal experience of living as an immigrant in a foreign country. Cooking and sharing food from a distant culture with neighbors is a hand extended into a new life.

The meaning of community sits at the heart of the play. If Khalil aimed to build a sense of belonging in the theatre, then she more than succeeds. Audiences leave satisfied in more than one way, relishing a recipe affectionately constructed and ready to be savored.

At the Traverse, Edinburgh, until 25 August.

Source: PR