Mrs. Krishnan’s Party. Written by Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis. Produced by Indian Ink Theatre Company. Presented by Arts Emerson, Jackie Liebergott Black Box, Emerson Paramount Center, 559 Washington Street, Boston through April 7.
By Michele Markarian
As you are heralded through a beaded curtain, James (the personable Justin Rogers, decked out in Indian costume) ushers you to your seat and encourages you to talk with your neighbors. The setting is a storeroom of an Indian grocery store; the occasion is a surprise Onam party for the store’s owner, Mrs. Krishnan (Kalyani Nagarajan). Mrs. Krishnan isn’t exactly a large party kind of woman; since her husband died, she allows herself very few pleasures, other than church and cooking for her architect son, Apo. James, a university student who boards with Mrs. Krishnan, is determined to put on a celebration. Colorful scarves and garlands are passed out, along with balloons. James plays Indian dance music and urges us to our feet. In spite of myself – I’m not a fan of audience participation and am seated in the section for Wallflowers – the mood is infectious, and I am on my feet.
Eventually, even the sour Mrs. Krishnan has to relent, despite her protestation of “This is a convenience store, not a disco.” Shyly at first, she starts to engage the audience, asking them for help in locating cooking utensils for her Onam meal as well as questions about their personal lives. As the play progresses, we are given to understand that all is not what it seems to be and that both James and Mrs. Krishnan have burdens of their own to unpack.
Rogers and Nagarajan are a spirited duo. Rogers warms the crowd up with his friendly, outgoing personality, although Boston is a formidable place to ask strangers to lighten up and get friendly with one another (we all managed, some better than others). The diminutive Nagarajan is at her best when she improvs, calling audience members by their names and riffing on them later. She is funny and relaxed while remaining in character as the uptight Mrs. Krishnan. The play itself is about celebrating and learning to improv when things don’t go as planned, as they so often don’t. By the end of the evening, Mrs. Krishnan, James, and the audience have all learned to go with the flow. While John Verryt’s set and props design is impressive – you do feel as if you’re in a storeroom, with crates and exposed brick – the piece would be better served in the round, where Mrs. Krishnan could easily be viewed from all sides.
“Mrs. Krishnan’s Party” is brought to us by way of New Zealand from the award-winning Indian Ink Theatre Company. Indian Ink takes its name from – you guessed it – Indian Ink, so-called because the goal is for “the experience to leave an indelible imprint on your hearts.” Which it did. By becoming part of the story, we immersed ourselves in the drama as Mrs. Krishnan’s guests, or “demons,” as she fondly calls us. For those curious and hungry people, there is also Indian food to share at the end, provided by Shanti Restaurant in Roslindale and served up by none other than Mrs. Krishnan herself. Now, this is what I call a party. For tickets and information, go to: https://artsemerson.org/events/mrs-krishnans-party/
