Review: Does Anyone Else Smell Curry? (theSpace @ Surgeon's Hall)

Kiren Virdee creates a space for reclamation

I recently watched a 1999 film called East Is East, a comedy-drama widely regarded as one of the best British Pakistani representations in the media. As rich a portrayal as it was, I was struck by the fact that a major plot point revolves around two Pakistani girls being “unattractive”. The audience is expected to laugh at these young women for their size, their facial features, and their body hair. How must it feel to be a British South Asian woman, if that is some of the best representation you have? In Does Anyone Else Smell Curry? Kiren Virdee uses interviews with British South Asian people and draws on her own experiences to discuss issues such as cultural appropriation, slurs and microaggressions, and beauty standards.

We hear the interviews as verbatim audio recordings through voiceover, while Kiren performs silently in front of us. Occasionally, she lip-syncs along, lending mannerisms and personality to the individuals. At other times, we hear a voice that is presumably Virdee herself delivering spoken-word poetry. These are the strongest scenes of the show, the moments that are the most creative and insightful. Verbatim interviews are a staple of documentary theatre, but they are rarely used this heavily. It leads to some repetition and causes the pacing to slump somewhat. While the interviewees we hear from are diverse (older women, younger men, etc), they aren’t necessarily revealing or surprising. There is always value in hearing from underrepresented voices, but here it feels as though they weren’t posed with the kind of questions to garner truly unique responses.

As we listen to them, Virdee changes clothes, from a traditional South Asian number with teal and sparkles, to crop tops and jeans. Each outfit is more western, until she eventually loops back to the original attire, and stands before us with pride in her eyes. It creates a heartwarming arc, but dramaturgically, it isn’t exciting. By comparison, a show called Sound Cistem consisted entirely of recorded interviews from young trans people about their experiences with nightlife, while performers Lizzie Morris and Ayden Brouwers danced themselves to exhaustion, playing with gender expression as they went. It created a focused, thought-provoking dialogue between sight and sound that is missing in Virdee’s show.

Does Anyone Else Smell Curry? may not be an innovative piece of theatre, but there is no doubt that it is a heartfelt one. At a festival with shockingly few shows from South Asian theatremakers, Virdee has created something personal that speaks directly to her community. In a way, its simplicity is its strength, because it creates a space where audiences who relate can hear their own experiences expressed openly and honestly. Perhaps this is a step towards something greater, but for now, Virdee’s show occupies a valuable space within the fringe. Three stars.

Whispers from the Crowd: "Extremely powerful. As an Indian American a lot of the themes resonated. I loved the mix of dance and theatre."

Does Anyone Else Smell Curry? has completed its run at theSpace @ Surgeon's Hall

Photo Credit: Raveena Virdee