“An original premise insufficiently developed in its script.”
A rising chef nervously rehearses his upcoming live-streamed show in front of his meticulous kitchen stand, all the ingredients already prepared. Just as the television show is counted down, so is A Perfect Dish as it officially begins in Peckham Theatre.
Directed by Tara Jamora Oppen and written by Chen Xu, A Perfect Dish has an interesting premise – a rising chef preparing himself to be live on television, explaining the story behind his famous dish, just as the dish itself comes to life and starts protesting against its treatment.
Kyu Sim plays the rising chef. He is first noticed nervously rehearsing his speech for the show to come, cutting and arranging fresh ingredients in between some silly gestures that any person would do to warm up off-stage. The real ingredients are a lovely addition, making the immersive experience seem even more real. Sim’s acting is full of energy, bringing most of the humour to the show through a mixture of funny facial and bodily expressions, and accurately conveying the chef’s rising nervousness and craziness as the play goes on.
The crab, brought to life by puppeteer Chen Xu, and designed by Kayla Teodoro, is unfortunately not endearing enough to bring the “dark” to dark comedy. In fact, it might be seen as slightly creepy, which prevents the audience from empathetically identifying with the chef’s inner conflict. The crab’s eggs, meant to add heaviness to the subject of boiling the crab, are also not quite empathy inducing to any common human, especially non-vegetarians. The surprise of the chef at the crab’s quantity of eggs is also slightly confusing for any non-crab experts who may not know how many eggs a crab should have. While the crab’s actions are realistically portrayed by Xu, and at times add an air of comedy, the writing seems to be quite simple and lacking in personality.
The idea of the show-within-a-show is well thought of, and brings a special immersive effect to the play. We seem to be truly witnessing this man in his most vulnerable moments, as well as enjoying the “live” moments of the show, as the audience watching it on TV. It is unclear however if what we are watching is a TV show in front of a screen, unaware of the backstage, or if we are in fact in the audience where the show is taking place, since the chef himself interacts with the audience and acknowledges their applause. It seems a bit of a mixture, which does not bother in itself.
The play ends just as the inner conflict reaches its climax, just halfway through the expected hour. It is clear that the end has happened, however we are left hanging, wanting the story to actually develop itself once the fatal act has happened. What will happen to the chef? What kind of message is this ending supposed to convey? Perhaps the triumph of greed and fame over…? We are not quite sure over what. With the time that is left, there would be ample opportunity to go into the chef’s inner world once he has committed this act contrary to his values. It seems a rather simple and predictable ending, that could have benefited from more thought.
Nonetheless, aside from its incompleteness, the show has great potential due to its original story and setting.
This show premiered at Peckham Theatre on 4th-5th June as part of Peckham Fringe.