Play's set a potential pickle

By LINDA HERRICK

The first of Jacob Rajan and Justin Lewis' Indian Ink Theatre Company trilogy, Krishnan's Dairy, started life in 1997 with a modest budget and a modest set: a shop counter, a flower stand and some saris.

As the play's success grew, so did the set, with theatre designer John Verryt called in to dress up the dairy, and its 2000 successor, The Candlestickmaker.

Now writer-actor Rajan's third play about life in New Zealand as seen through Indian eyes is on the Auckland leg of its national tour, and Verryt has created a set which is as much a character as the actors who populate the stage.

The Pickle King is set in the faded Empire Hotel on Wellington's Oriental Parade, "your taste of the Orient on Oriental Bay".

It is run by Ammachy (Rajan), who has brought her blind niece Sasha from India to work as receptionist. Jojo (also played by Rajan), who is in love with Sasha (Ansuya Nathan), was a heart surgeon in India but his qualifications are not recognised here and so he is the Empire's night porter.

Over the course of a stormy week - this is Wellington, after all - things are blown and bumped around with the arrival of the Pickle King, G. Ripa (Carl Bland, in full fat costume and broad, twirled moustache).

Where G. Ripa goes, things tend to die. And just like a silent movie, the pianist plays through it all - Mark Lipman as Graham, the lobby tinkler, whose music matches the mood.

Verryt's India-fied Empire Hotel is "slightly tacky", he says, with little arches, lots of plastic Taj Mahals and a decor leaning heavily towards blue, purple and gold.

"A lot of unexpected things drop in, things flying past in the wind, mice that run around - all done with strings," he says. "Bits of the set have to co-operate with an idea of a gag: things have to fall over on cue. While Jacob and Justin were talking about ideas, I had to work out how to achieve them and there's a lot of problem-solving here," he laughs.

"When sets involve a lot of strings, it is fraught, things go wrong, strings get tangled, mice won't move. It is a live show - anything can happen and the actors have to cope."

* The Pickle King, Maidment Theatre, Wednesday-September 28.