Georgina Baveas in Soula’s Kitchen. Photograph supplied.
Soula’s Kitchen is set, very literally, in Soula’s Kitchen. When myself and 11 strangers walked into a back-room of the North Melbourne stables last night, we were greeted by Soula, and welcomed into a kitchen replete with working appliances, fully-stocked crockery cupboards, a plastic-covered kitchen table and more old photographs and trinkets than you could poke a stick at. What followed was an outrageously entertaining evening in which the stereotypes of three generations of Greek women were offered up for our enjoyment and our consideration.
When I say stereotypes, I mean it. Any and every stereotypical trait of Greek women you can think of is presented without apology, in a way that some might find shocking or offensive. The politics of stereotyping – even self-stereotyping or positive stereotyping – is always fraught. But creator-performer Baveas seems to be working from a place of generosity and affection towards the characters she represents. The work is subtly subversive – allowing us to laugh at the ridiculousness of each character, before showing little glimpses of their personal and internal lives that give us pause for reflection. By this work, Baveas seems to be accepting a reality in which her family and culture will always be stereotyped on some level, but she uses those stereotypes (rather than working against them) to express cultural and personal complexity.
The form of the show is intriguing – 12 strangers sitting around a circular table, sharing food, with the characters of the show floating around the outside of the circle. Simultaneously these characters own the space (we are in their house, eating their food); and yet they are othered (they do not have a seat at the table with us; they are there to “perform” the role of the good host and “serve” our needs). This form beautifully reflects the migrant experience that the characters of the piece express and tell us about.
On the night that I attended the show, Baveas herself and her mother (who had done the cooking and the audio for the show) both joined us in the space after the show. For me, this was just as crucial a part of the experience as the rest of the show, because of the stark contrast between these two real people and the mother and daughter of the show. We could see the elements of truth that carried over from the stereotypes (the warmth, the eagerness to share food and kind conversation) but the two women we were looking at couldn’t be more different in their dress and demeanour from the stereotypes with which we had been presented throughout the show.
This show should be deeply relatable to any Australian, Greek or otherwise. It’s a way of working through stereotypes. To humanise othered members of the Australian community is heartfelt, entertaining and very effective.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Soula’s Kitchen
Created and Performed by Georgina Baveas
Designed by Meropi Tourogiannis
Part of the 2016 Melbourne Fringe Festival
Emerald City – The Stables, Meat Market (North Melbourne)
16-24 September 2016
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