Chef
by Sabrina Mahfouz
Directed by Marianne de Pury
Upstream Theater
October 5, 2018
Linda Kennedy
Photo: Upstream Theater
Chef at Upstream Theater isn’t exactly what it may first seem to be. Yes, it’s about a chef, but it’s about a lot more than cooking. It’s an intense, emotionally harrowing one-woman show that explores many facets of its title character. It also features a remarkable performance by one of St. Louis’s most accomplished local performers.
Linda Kennedy plays the title role, who is given no other name throughout the story. She’s only ever called “Chef”, and it soon becomes clear after we meet her that she’s not just any chef. She’s a chef at a prison, as well as being an inmate there. What then transpires is a series of monologues telling her story, punctuated by a provocative soundtrack of sounds that contribute to the atmosphere of the production. It’s a highly personal tale, as Chef reads out menus, reflects on her ideas about food and her occupation, as well as her personal relationships with her family and violent men. It’s not a story as much as an examination of one character and what brought her to where she is. The tone is stark, chilling, and increasingly mysterious as we find out more and more about particular events in Chef’s life both before and after she arrived in prison.
This is a show that depends a lot on its central performance, as is expected for one-person shows. The story isn’t linear, and it can be challenging to follow at times, but Linda Kennedy makes every moment worth watching, and thinking about. We see the world Chef inhabits entirely through her eyes, and Kennedy brings the story to life with a rich, multi-faceted performance that makes her experiences all the more intense and compelling. From her present reality as an inmate to the circumstances of how she got there, as well as her treatment and that of her fellow inmates is reflected clearly in her bold, intelligent and highly emotional performance. The production values add a lot to the experience as well, with a simple but effective scenic design by Kristin Cassidy, costumes by Laura Hanson, and especially Tony Anselmo’s stark lighting and Jim Blanton’s atmospheric sound.
Chef isn’t exactly what I had expected. It’s an especially intense, insightful look at one woman’s life and how its been affected by those around her, and by her chosen profession. It’s not really a play about cooking, although cooking is an essential element of the plot, and the character. It’s not easy to describe without giving too much away. Still, what’s most important is the indelible performance of Linda Kennedy in the lead. It’s a tour-de-force for her, and another thought-provoking production from Upstream.
Linda Kennedy
Photo: Upstream Theater
Upstream Theater is presenting Chef at the Kranzberg Theatre until October 14, 2018