Review: Krishnan’s Dairy

One of New Zealand’s most-loved plays has returned for a short season at the Hannah Playhouse. Having not seen it before (despite it coming around every couple of years for almost the last twenty!) we took the chance to finally go see it.

Gobi Krishnan (“a small man”, as the McGlashan-esque song/narrator would have him) has come to New Zealand for a better life. With him are his wife Zina (“my warrior princess!” says Gobi), and their young son.

Gobi has bought a corner shop, and has an expansive view of his new country; Zina would rather go home. Or would she? We see their relationship unfold in parallel with the telling of another story of a legendary love, each illustrating the other.

Jacob Rajan plays all parts via the use of masks, mime, sound effects and the occasional use of slapstick, building a story that is much deeper than you’d initially think.

Rajan’s performance is extremely polished; maybe almost too polished and I found I had trouble engaging with him initially. Everything seemed to just slot into place without room for those little improvisations that sometimes serve to bring the audience inside and make them think the show is just for them and them alone. Given how often the show has been performed over the years maybe this shouldn’t be a surprise.

But regardless, the show is clever and affecting and I’m glad I went. If you’ve never seen Krishnan’s Dairy, now’s the time to go.

Tickets available via Ticketek and the season runs from July 29th to August 2nd.