“Director Darren Yap brings his master chef hat to the production by casting an ensemble of actors who blend well together while being able to comfortably embody their roles.“
Fiona Hallenan-Barker
3.5 Chef’s Hats out of 5
Ensemble
Montrose is on a quest to make the perfect sandwich, the right amount of fillings with the perfect ingredients and the patience to craft all of the elements into an experience of joy for the eater. The unlikely scene of his culinary experiments is Clyde’s diner.
Boss Clyde is a food adverse master criminal who smokes and stalks her way through the kitchen terrorising her staff. Why are the staff there? Well, they have all been released from various prisons which means that employers won’t take them on due to USA legal liability issues. Employers other than Clyde.
American writer Lynn Nottage wrote Clyde’s in 2021. The original Broadway production won 15 awards and Nottage holds two Pulitzer Prizes for drama. Nottage is known for her strong portrayal of disenfranchised characters. In a 2016 Guardian article on racial segregation Nottage expressed how she was looking to write about the American prison system and the destructive nature of the dehumanisation of men of colour. While the constitutional and legal rights of ex criminals might differ from America to Australia the marginalisation of and inequity of indigenous men in Australia is well known. The ongoing question of justice and humanity is very present in Australia. By delving into this material at a safe cultural distance we are able to reflect on what justice, redemption and equality mean today.
Director Darren Yap brings his master chef hat to the production by casting an ensemble of actors who blend well together while being able to comfortably embody their roles. The motley crew working at Clyde’s diner include sandwich shaman Montrellous, mellifluously plated by Charles Allen gently guiding his colleagues along on his passionate food quest. Single mom Tish is played with vulnerability and kindness by Ebony Vagulans. Gabriel Alvarado brings heart and soul to ex-addict Rafael. Aaron Tsindos nails the bottled anger of neo nazi Jason, the newest member of the kitchen. Monster in the room Clyde is played at full throttle with relish by Nancy Denis who encapsulates this
larger than life character full of hideous attitudes, outfits and vaping.
The design by Simone Romaniuk is highly functional and uses the intimacy of the space well. Having the play in repertory means that the space is shared by Suddenly Last Summer and the use of smoke, flames, and water grounds the realism of the play within the sticky confines of the space. This is deftly supported by detailed lighting from Mongan Moroney and evocative sound design and composition by Max Lamber and Roger Lock. Almost all of the cast are Australian and dialect coach Lynda Nicholls-Gidley has done fine work with the cast to ground them in the sounds of America. It is a perfect blend for the ears and eyes even if we cannot enjoy the smells of a working kitchen.
In the confines of the Ensemble stage Yap and Romaniuk have created a chess board space where each character moves precariously around each other and the knives and flames of a working kitchen. The resulting energy is not as tense as a working kitchen is with dangerous people and dangerous implements under pressure. Kitchens are unique space and busy service periods by nature force groups of people into camaraderie due to the highly intense nature of the working environment and added time pressure.
The production first hit Broadway at the end of the first wave of the pandemic, It is the gentle approach to exploring peoples pain that makes this work accessible to broad audiences worldwide. Nottage writes in the program notes about wanting the work to be about “creativity, resilience, mindfulness, community and the healing power of food” But this is a redemption story for Jason, Letitia, Rafael and Montrellous who come to value their own worth through the transient space of Clyde’s and are able to reconnect to their humanity through each other.
Through the lens of a kitchen space Nottage has created a palatable romp through an unsavoury subject. The resulting work is timely and topical in a very palatable way. And does Montrellous the sandwich whisperer ever get to make the perfect sandwich? Well you will just have to purchase a ticket to find out.
Fiona Hallenan-Barker, Theatre Now
