'Bollywood Kitchen' Excites the Senses

Geffen Playhouse has been one of the most successful and innovative theatre companies in America during the pandemic. When almost every theater was dark in 2020, Geffen Playhouse became Geffen Stayhouse, a virtual theater where viewers could purchase a ticket and watch a live, interactive performance in the comfort of their home through Zoom. 

Its first full-length show “The Present” became a huge sell-out success. Ticket holders enjoyed the interactive experience from the magician, illusionist, and storyteller Helder Guimarães. When it made its world premiere in May 2020, it quickly was extended three different times to showcase 250+ performance, before closing with a global, live-streamed with more than 6,000 global viewers during the finale in October 2020.

Now for 2021, the creative team at Geffen Playhouse kicked off the new season with a whole new type of dinner show experience, BOLLYWOOD KITCHEN. Filmmaker and creator of the upcoming Netflix series The Actress, Sri Rao invites viewers to prepare a homemade Indian-American meal from his kitchen in New York. Viewers watch as he shares stories of growing up in America while preparing his mother’s recipes from his childhood. He turned his favorite dishes into a cookbook - BOLLYWOOD KITCHEN published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

BOLLYWOOD KITCHEN the virtual show introduces audiences to four of Rao’s passions—Bollywood films, Indian food, family, and music. Viewers are enlightened as Rao takes them on a personal journey about his parents immigrating to America and his own experiences growing up in Pennsylvania as a brown colored boy. Throughout the show, Rao sprinkles in Bollywood film vignettes, food, and music.

The show is directed by Arpita Mukherjee and produced in Association with Hypokrit Theatre Company. It debuted on January 15, 2021, and was scheduled to close on February 20, 2021, however, tickets sold out so quickly, that Geffen opened more tickets by extending the show to Saturday, March 6, 2021.

Logging on last night before my scheduled showtime, I enjoyed the pre-show Bollywood music, film stills, and some fun facts including - “Bollywood is the largest film industry, selling twice as many tickets as Hollywood movies.” 

Rao shared in an interview that before writing his cookbook, and long before Covid-19, people would ask him at cocktail parties, “Can I get one of your mom's recipes for homemade Indian food?” and “I've never seen a Bollywood movie before—can you recommend one to me?” The Geffen Playhouse has given him the opportunity to answer both questions at once. 

At the age of 8 years old, his life changed when he watched his first Bollywood movie “a technicolor utopia filled with bright colors and sounds,” something he had never seen before. Not only is Rao pleasing on the eyes as he tells his story, but he is also a gentle and likable soul. He leads viewers on a tutorial on how to make a Mumbai Mule cocktail, saying cheers to “auntie” Kamala Harris, and step by step on how to make his signature chicken curry, and chocolate chai affogato for dessert. It’s not traditional Indian cuisine, it’s Americanized because he was born in America and all the ingredients are from American grocery stores.

Throughout the 75 minute show, he engages with Chefs Table ticket holders when they appear periodically on the screen. BOLLYWOOD KITCHEN offers multiple tiers of ticketing options that allow the audience to choose their own unique level of participation, including a live stream viewing-only option.

A limited number of audience members purchasing a Chefs Table ticket, get to virtually cook alongside Rao and be featured in the show. We all watch them interact with the star of the show, ask him questions, and get tips along the way. These ticket holders also receive a special “Bollywood Box” delivered to their doorstep in advance of the performance. Inside the colorful box are smaller boxes filled with spices and staple ingredients, plus an envelope with recipes and a shopping list of fresh ingredients to purchase before the show. 

The menu includes a Bollywood popcorn kit, Mumbai Mule cocktail, and an entree of either chicken curry or a vegan Chana Masala, plus raita, rice, and chocolate chai affogato. The recipes serve up to four people.

The night I attended the show, Miss America 2014 Nina Davuluri was at the Chefs Table, as was Indian-American filmmaker and director Mira Nair, known for her Academy Award nomination for ‘A Suitable Boy.”

Rao interweaves the story of his parents immigrating to America, attending school in America, isolation, and the joy and nourishment that Bollywood musicals brought to him and his family. 

Tickets levels and prices include Chef’s Table ($175), Bollywood Foodie ($95), or Just Here for the Party (starting at $40). Stay around for the Bollywood After-Party, hosted by a well-known South Asian DJ after select performances. Those who attended the after-party typed in the chat box their feelings about the show, how easy it was to prepare the food, and their admiration of Sri Rao. It’s a fun way to connect with others from different states during social isolation.

Unlike traditional theatre where you have to travel to a city to see a show, this show had an audience from 25 different states, all gathered together preparing food and listening to Rao’s fascinating life story. His story is a loving homage to his mother and father. Their nightly family meals and Bollywood movie-watching shaped and inspired this lonely immigrant boy to dream of one day becoming a storyteller and filmmaker. Happily for covid-weary Geffen Stayhouse fans, his dream came true. 

Tickets are available by phone at (310)208-2028 or online at www.geffenplayhouse.org.