Soula’s Kitchen

In this comedic one-woman show Soula’s Kitchen you will transform as a guest at a traditional Greek dinner. Soula’s dining room is the stage and the room abounds with Greek memorabilia and ornaments, from the old family photos and religious prints on the wall, the dolls in Greek dance costumes, food cooking on the stove (of course), down to the small details like the doilies in the glass cabinets and Greek music in the background.

Sitting at a round table tonight with 12 other esteemed ‘guests’, we are treated to some Greek fare as we learn from 4 generations of Greek women who share with us their stories of assimilating into Australian society, their journey in arriving here to start a new life and many tales of the homeland they left behind.

There is a great sense of genuine hospitality and generosity as is found in many traditional Greek homes where the offering of an abundance of traditional food is a symbol of pride for their culture and heritage and a way of staying connected with their family customs and values of togetherness, kindness and sharing. If you have ever been an invited guest in a Greek home, or even a customer in a Greek restaurant you will understand and you will never leave hungry.

Georgina Baveas plays out all 4 characters, from the widowed grandmother, to the mother, the daughter, and even the cousin makes an appearance.  In this social setting we learn of the hardships in the process of assimilation. In particular the widowed grandmother, moving from a country where the lifestyle was embedded in her, having to adapt to a much different life is very difficult, the language barrier being most prominent. Despite the obvious, the grandmother, without speaking a word of English, manages to communicate with us in her Greek language, showing us very old historical photos of loved ones, and always gesturing to us to keep eating; she does know the words “eat, eat”. 

The mother character speaks better English, the accent is always obvious as she tells tales of lost love and finding her way in a new country. I think for a mother it’s very difficult in the fact that she is between having to console and help her own mother adapt and ensuring her children find their way but not become totally lost; the aim is to find a balance whilst still maintaining the values of their heritage.

Georgina Baveas playing the daughter character may have been the most familiar to tonight’s young audience; a cool Greek girl, outgoing, bold and confident tells of the strength that comes from enduring racism in the schoolyard, having to find a defense and stand up for who you are does develop courage. Baveas speaks as herself in the end, out of character, and provides us with a soulful affirmation of how the sense of country never leaves you, even though you may leave it.  It was very moving and endearing.

Soula’s Kitchen is delightful - not only is it very funny - we all laughed a lot, but it is much more than a comedy, it is in fact a cultural experience, cleverly delivered in a unique way that manages to bring the audience into the world of the very subject matter. The message is poignant and the journey, whilst it highlighted and provoked much thought and discussion, was done in a light hearted and entertaining style. It was very well received by all.

Georgina Baveas is a graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts and this show sets a very high standard, I certainly look forward to seeing a lot more of her work.

Lisa Romeo