Says Jacob Rajan, co-founder of New Zealand-based Indian Ink Theater and co-writer of Marin Theatre’s upcoming Mrs. Krishnan’s Party: “You’ll love it; it’s my mother’s recipe. It’s good wholesome food.”
He’s referring to dahl and adds that it might have a little kick, but it’s vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free. “It’s delicious,” he says reassuringly. Of course, no one pot of dahl will taste the same as the next because the two actors leading the immersive theater experience cook this particular dahl live on stage in Mill Valley starting March 19.
However, considering the show, about Mrs. Krishnan suddenly having to cook an Onam feast for 100 strangers, has been touring the U.S. for five years, and was written for Kalyani Nagarajan, who plays the titular Mrs. Krishnan, the odds are good that the dahl will be perfect.
Many people (a lot of them theater people) read the word immersive here and remembered that they must bathe their cat that night or something. Immersive theater can be a scary concept. Rajan understands this: “Participation and humiliation are not the same thing,” he explains. But he quickly points out that this is not humiliation theater. “It’s a party,” he says.
“It’s immersion in only the best way. You only participate as much as you want,” Rajan adds. “We (he and co-writer Justin Lewis) are introverts. We had to find a way for you to choose not to be involved.”
Marin Theatre has taken this to heart by reworking its Boyer Theater. Instead of a traditional seating map, the seating for this show ranges from Top Tier through Inner Circle, Cheeky, and finally, Wallflower. Top Tier means one will be seated at the dinner table as the dahl is cooked.
“You might be asked to open a tin of tomatoes or pour some wine,” Rajan clarifies. Wallflower means one gets to see everything and taste the finished dahl if they want. But the actors don’t interact with the Wallflowers. So if they’re shy, this is the perfect section.
And while the show’s premise involves an important Malayal festival, the show is really about building community. “It’s about transitions, and laughing, and sadness, and having fun,” says Rajan. “It’s about people entering as strangers and leaving as community.”
With everything going on in the world, laughter, community and some good wholesome food sounds like it might, in fact, be the best use a theater can be put to right now.
‘Mrs. Krishnan’s Party’ runs March 19-30 at Marin Theatre, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. Tues–Sat, 7:30pm; Sat & Sun, 2pm. $10-$97. 415.388.5208. marintheatre.org.
