The charming production of ‘A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen’ (or ‘How to Make the Perfect One-Pot Chicken Curry’) has made its way to its mainstage premier at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre.
At the core of this production, is the theme of self-discovery and belonging. Joshua Hinton, with his brother Dominic at the technical helm, tell stories of their grandparents’ formative experiences throughout not just their family history, but major historical events as well. Josh interweaves monologues and recordings to tell decades of stories, all the while cooking his grandmother’s one-pot chicken curry.
The technical elements of this production and the use of the cooking utensils and pots as props to tell stories was incredibly well thought out. Dominic’s sporadic interjections and his use of physical theatre at key moments really heightened the storytelling, and moments of humour that displayed their sibling relationship. I absolutely adored the imagery and the use of the world map throughout the show. Using spices as they are and as tools to showcase different people within the stories being told was a genius move. The mix of lighting and sounds with spices as fires and bowls as buses was next level. It can be really difficult to keep an audience engaged for an hour or so when it’s just one person on stage, but with all the technical elements like the use of the audio, video and photos were really well utilised that it didn’t feel like a one man show.
It was really cool to see a whole meal be cooked on stage whilst being invited into a family’s history. It was an intimate experience pieced together with a grandmother’s love for her grandchildren and an equally beautiful reciprocation of the adoration and respect of a grandchild for their grandparents. I love the idea of breathing new life into old stories, as well as keeping a loved one’s legacy alive even after death. Hinton used a really powerful analogy, likening grief to that of the process of cooking the curry, and I just found that so beautifully poignant.
Finally, sharing the spotlight to close out the show with an original song, the Hinton brothers gave their all in a soft goodbye and see you later to their Pop. Thank you for sharing that beautiful tribute with us and for following it up with some delicious curry! Dinner and a show? Sign me up!
‘A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen’ is in Wollongong for a few more shows, finishing on Saturday August 23 at 7:30pm, before moving on to the Shoalhaven Entertainment Centre and Brisbane Festival. Grab a ticket at the Merrigong website or stay tuned for its next stops!
To book tickets to A Place in the Sultan’s Kitchen, please visit https://merrigong.com.au/shows/a-place-in-the-sultans-kitchen-2025/.
