From the earliest times, our society has revolved around food rituals. Before the agricultural revolution, days were spent hunting and gathering. Now that we don’t have to spend a whole lot of time on that, we instead spend our days working to earn money to buy necessities like food, and then shopping for it, preparing it, going out for it, deciding what to consume. The actual eating is just one of the few ways we expend time and thought and energy on food. That’s what Food, a show on at the Lawler, Southbank Theatre for Rising, explores.
And considering how big a part of our lives food is, frankly, we’re surprised this is the first show we’ve seen that’s revolved around the stuff.
It’s impossible to explain what Food is in a nutshell. It’s immersive theatre. A dinner party (one where you won’t get to enjoy any food, mind you). A magic show. A guided meditation. Absurdism at its finest. A one-man show (or is it?! There is a lot of hilarious audience participation. Sit in the back rows if you’re not in the mood).
The show starts in familiar territory – some audience members will gather around a massive square banquet table, while others will sit in the rows behind and to the sides. Your waiter for the evening is master New York illusionist Geoff Sobelle.
But before too long, the night descends into a visual history of the evolution of what we eat and how we produce it. There are herds of bison, fields of wheat, factories, train lines, plantations, supermarkets, restaurants and all of the things – all sparking you to question along the way why we eat what we eat.
That’s all we’re going to say – to avoid spoiling your dinner.
See this 90-minute spectacle while it’s on at Rising until June 8. Get your tickets over here.