Review: Rajiv’s Starry Feelings, Camden People’s Theatre

Coming in to Camden People’s Theatre from the bright sunshine to a friendly welcome from the front of house team, it’s then calming to join performer Maryam Noorhimli in the darkened auditorium for Rajiv’s Starry Feelings. On the floor, sitting next to a child’s bed, we identify the picture book by Niall Moorjani from which the show is adapted. Meanwhile soothing music plays and the audience take their seats. This gentle tale, which is aimed at ages 2+, invites us to reflect and reimagine; to consider different emotions and how to handle the more difficult ones.

Noorhimli is our storyteller and she has a warm, confident delivery which is supplemented by recorded voiceovers that give presence to Rajiv and his father, although they are never seen. She’s friendly and likeable – careful to ensure everyone is comfortable and feels part of the experience. 

We learn that Rajiv has thrown his toy rocket at the wall. He is feeling angry and doesn’t know why, so his father takes the time to talk about his feelings and find a mechanism for coping with them. The performance takes us to multiple locations as they consider the problem, from their South Asian kitchen to a duck pond, up a tree and even into space, and we’re led through the narrative of the book as it explores their interactions. Throughout, Noorhimli creates opportunities to engage the audience in activities relating to the various scenes.

There are lots of lovely and imaginative moments in the show. Early on, the children are invited to join in copying signs for different emotions, from sad through to angry, which they readily embrace. They are additionally asked to consider things that make them happy and to call out their thoughts. There’s time for stomping and movement, and the chance to sniff real Indian spices from Rajiv’s kitchen, passed along the rows. It’s wonderfully sensory, enjoyable and empowering for the audience. 

With the children keenly involved with the activities, the flow of the storytelling does become a little disrupted at times, losing pace, although Noorhimli does an excellent job of respectfully bringing attention back in. Moments of deep breathing are particularly useful for resetting the tone. There also seems a missed opportunity to embrace the South Asian father/son relationship at the centre of the book more fully. It literally lacks visibility as the characters don’t appear visually and only their voices are heard in short excerpts, which is a little disappointing. 

Lighting is used thoughtfully throughout the show, from a simple starry bedside lamp to a luminous planetary orb, or a light up tree. The highlight is when a whole cosmos of breathtaking starlight beautifully covers the auditorium, as Rajiv and his father consider constellations that articulate their stories and feelings. Additionally, clouds of colour are puffed into the air and hang suspended, causing the children to reach out to touch them. Along with the delightful music and the fragrant spices, this makes for a pleasantly sensory experience.

Noorhimli is an engaging and thoughtful host and clearly cares about her audience. This is at the core of what makes Rajiv’s Starry Feelings such a lovely, imaginative experience, where families can come together and share a space in which to explore complex emotions. 

Based on the picture book by Niall Moorjani
Designed by Marian Hoddy
Co-produced and created by Astraea Theatre and Discover Children’s Story Centre.

Rajiv’s Starry Feelings is aimed at ages 2+ and plays at Camden People’s Theatre until Thursday 9 April.