Daughters of the Curry Revolution at the Southbank Centre

Daughters of the Curry Revolution is an intimate, immersive theatre experience that feels like stepping into someone’s home. Created by Afreena Islam, it is about her immigrant father and the relationship she has with him.

When entering the room one is greeted with a disorganised dining table, complete with cups and orange marmalade giving the allusion of attending a dinner party. The personal aspect of this setting is highlighted during the piece as the core of it is Islam telling the audience about her memories of her father when growing up. The structure of the play is made up of monologues, intercut with voice recordings of people who are close to her father, such as her niece or his best friend. While there is a certain lack of polish to the performance there is beauty in the raw nature of the show, as there was no pretending or falsehoods.

Islam has mentioned that this piece began with the purpose of putting a human face to the immigration statistics and that it was originally created at a time when the news was all about this; however, since performing it it has become more about the relationship between a father and daughter. This change is seen by the audience, through the addition of items that are no longer essential to the central paternal themes, such as a video of Britain First going into a mosque – while deeply alarming it does not have much significance to the monologue that comes before.

Overall the small cast and the space add to the feeling of Daughters of the Curry Revolution being distinctive. While the organisation could be improved, at heart this is about a daughter trying to understand the life her father had, and taking the audience on this journey with her. The genuine nature of the story shines through and makes it a fascinating experience.

Manisha Sondhi

Daughters of the Curry Revolution is on at the Southbank Centre on 27^th May 2017, for further information visit here.

Watch the trailer for Daughters of the Curry Revolution here: