Two people cooking a dessert accompanied by twelve drummers is a left field, intriguing premise for a concert. From it, Roysten Abel has fashioned a warm, winning night’s entertainment.
THE KITCHEN is a wordless drama featuring a couple, Mandakini Goswami and Dilip Shankar, cooking payasam, a milk dessert used in feasts and celebrations. Their dessert preparation is accompanied by a spectacular display of drumming by twelve drummers playing copper mizhavu drums.
The couple’s cooking is essentially a slow dance, beautifully choreographed and almost ceremonial in its execution. They gracefully add the ingredients with care and deliberation into two large pots and the subtle aromas drift through the theatre, adding to the sensory experience. There is an interesting interplay between the couple. An apparent conflict is resolved as the payasam is cooking, providing dramatic symmetry.
The drummers sit in three tiers at the rear of the stage. Their energy is relentless and amazing. Initially the drummer at the centre on the lowest tier commences drumming and only his hands are illuminated. Gradually the other drummers accompany his lead and as the performance progresses, all twelve join in.
The lead changes hands and eventually all drummers take the opportunity to lead. Their lightning fast hands are captured by excellent lighting, designed by Roysten Abel, and the combination of sound and light is just thrilling. Another impressive aspect is the group’s precision with the complicated rhythms inherent in Indian drumming.
The audience was generous in its applause, and then everyone enthusiastically partook of the freshly cooked payasam.
This was such an enjoyable experience. A Sydney Festival event, Roysten Abel’s THE KITCHEN played the York Theatre at the Seymour Centre between the 22nd and the 25th January.
The Mizhav Players:-
Kalamandalam Rajeev
Kalamandalam Hari Haran
Kalamandalam Narayanan Nambiar
Kalamandalam Dhanaraj
Kalamandalam Ratheesh Bhas
Kalamandalam Ammannoor Ravikumar
Kalamandalam Vineesh
Kalamandalam Jayaraj
Kalamandalam Ezhikode Vineeth Namboodhiri
Kalamandalam Sajith Vijayan
Kalamandalam Manikandan
Kalamandalam Saji Kumar