‘A feast for the senses’
Welcomed into the venue with a gift bag of food and a tipple accompanied by a local soundtrack to set the scene, ‘What’s In The Kitchen?’ delves into the bright and bold flavourings found in the Brazilian gastronomy scene.
Split into a menu of chapters, the show follows a number of characters across Brazil and how food can create different feelings and bring communities together. Each story comes with a food pairing taking you directly into the kitchen using multiple senses with taste leading the way. You may even find you learn something about your own taste buds when discovering the five tastes.
Eduardo Estrela is an engaging storyteller, easily transporting you to the different culinary corners in Brazil from a high-pressure, chaotic restaurant kitchen in Sao Paolo, to the glossiness of television chefs and ending with my personal favourite, the tranquil pasta making Brazilian-Italian Nonna Theresa who opens heart and home to anyone in need of a bowl of fresh pasta.
He even nods that Theresa is inspired by the show’s director Dani Angelotti whose talents can be seen both through the performance and the delicious homemade Brigadeiro which rounds off the performance’s menu. It is worth mentioning here that the food by Chef Alejandro Huerto was a wonderful addition to the show, elevating the story telling further by incorporating all the senses.
Along with tales of cuisine, Estrela examines himself as both a restaurateur and actor. He draws comparisons between the performative nature of gastronomy and the theatre.
Speaking about how the constant pressure of succeeding mirrors the life of an actor always trying to give his best performance.
The performance is predominantly in Portuguese with subtitles on a screen above, so it is worth sitting back far enough to read the subtitles to accompany the performance.
The meal kit is simple and numbered with Eduardo clearly instructing you on what to eat when. That being said, I still managed to muddle it up by eating the shrink-wrapped treat too early confusing the final desert for the sweet section in parcel two. So, make sure you follow the numbers carefully and pay attention to get the full experience.
If you are a foodie, you enjoy travelling or love local stories or are just looking for something a little different then this is the show for you.
This show runs until 23rd August (except Mondays). Tickets here.