Review by Jo Tomalin
www.ForAllEvents.com
Chef – is Brilliant!
***** (5/5 stars)
Chef is a theatrical monologue written by award winning poet Sabrina Mahfouz and vibrantly performed by Jade Anouka, about an haute cuisine chef who ends up as a convicted inmate running a prison kitchen. Anouka’s chef character is elegant and passionate gushing forth with stories flowing from the heart.
Staged in the curved metal dome of Underbelly’s Big Belly theatre and well directed by Kirsty Patrick Ward, the set comprises a shiny metal kitchen table, several utensils and a whiteboard. Anouka wears a chef’s jacket, a black and white scarf on her head, and grey just below the knee length trousers.
Mahfouz’s language is poetic and the layers are fascinating as she leads us through each chapter of a cook-book about the art of cooking peppered with juicy life stories. Anouka writes several intriguing headings on the whiteboard, such as…The Perfect Peach…and Coconut Curried Tofu then tells us about different eras of her life – her philosophy of the perfect peach, her loves, distrust, hopes and dreams.
The combination of Anouka’s earnest, gutsy, alive and on point physical performance as the chef and the beautifully fluid crafting by Mahfouz makes this an outstanding performance piece. Satisfying in every way, this one-hour monologue is very entertaining and moving, going deep into a raw emotional core, captivating the audience.
Information and Tickets:
Location: Underbelly, Cowgate (Venue 61)
Box Office: 0844 545 8252
More Info/Tickets: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/chef
Underbelly: http://www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk
Jo Tomalin, Ph.D. reviews Dance, Theatre & Physical Theatre Performances
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TWITTER @JoTomalin
www.forallevents.com Arts & Travel Reviews
Jo Tomalin studied with Jacques Lecoq in Paris. She completed the two year professional course at Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, Paris, France, where she also completed the Laboratoire du Mouvement (LEM) scenography, mask and movement course.
Originally from England, Jo is currently based in San Francisco, where she reviews Theatre & Dance for www.ForAllEvents.com & www.FringeReview.co.uk. She is a Professor in the School of Theatre & Dance at San Francisco State University where she teaches performance subjects and directs MainStage plays. She also works in the performing arts field as a freelance movement & voice specialist, director + actor. Jo’s play “Jessica” which she also directed was produced at the Fringe of Marin – a One Act New Play Festival in Northern California.
Jo Tomalin graduated with a degree from London University’s Laban Centre Teaching Credential program in Modern Dance, Art of Movement & Choreography; studied Classical Acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London; completed a teacher’s diploma (ATCL) in Voice and Acting from Trinity College of Dramatic Art, London; and studied classical ballet for 12 years.
Jo also holds a Ph.D. in Education with a specialization in Instructional Design for Online Learning from Capella University, MN, and a Master of Science degree in Educational Technology from Boise State University in the USA.
