Twenty years after Indian Ink burst on to the New Zealand theatre scene with the play Krishnan’s Dairy …
When you arrive at Mrs Krishnan’s, make sure you don’t fiddle with the stock.
The plot is as delicious as the smells which begin to pervade the space as Mrs Krishnan’s curry is cooking in front of us.
An Indian tale of epic proportions is told through the enthusiasm and brilliance of a single actor, leaving the audience in hysterics of laughter one minute and colossal heartache the next.
When a scene involving melons and murder plays out, I get a strong sense of déjà vu … Turns out it’s an actual memory of a scene from Indian Ink’s The Dentist’s Chair which premiered a decade ago.
Mrs Krishnan’s Party is set in the back room of the dairy where Zina is celebrating the harvest festival, Onam. We’re the invited guests and, if we’re lucky, Mrs Krishnan might even feed us.
Vanessa Kumar was too young to see Krishnan’s Dairy in 1997 when it debuted at Bats Theatre; she was just 7, and the theatre company behind it, Indian Ink, newer than she was.
Twenty years ago, Jacob Rajan became the first Indian actor to graduate from Toi Whakaari—NZ School of Drama and went on to take his passion for theatre to the next level.
Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis’s much-celebrated, endearing love story The Pickle King first debuted fifteen years ago, and in that time it’s become a classic of contemporary New Zealand theatre.
The Pickle King is a well preserved, slickly directed, modern fairy tale that’s quick witted, tongue in cheek and really rather endearing all while lifting the lid on love, loss and diversity.
A BRIGHT, bold set design in tropical pastels plays against the undercurrent of death, loss and tragedy in Justin Lewis and Jacob Rajan’s multi-layered play The Pickle King, playing here on tour.
“Some things worth preserving you can’t fit in a jar”.
