A surprise party for a convenience store owner becomes a raucous celebration for a couple hundred friends of the arts at Marin Theatre through March 30.

New Zealand-based Indian Ink Theatre Co. takes command of Marin Theatre’s Boyer Theatre, converting it into a capacious storage room/kitchen in the back of Mrs. Krishnan’s store, stocked to the rafters with boxes of packaged foods. In colorful party garb, her tenant, a university student and would-be DJ named James (Justin Rogers), greets visitors with a high-performance smile, lots of dazzling repartee and thumping Bollywood disco music to put them in the mood for what proves to be a wildly entertaining 80-minute ride.

Written by director Justin Lewis and Jacob Rajan, the comedy leverages the traditional Indian harvest festival of Onam. The hyperkinetic James directs visitors to don bright scarves to get with the program, to blow up balloons and toss them about and to join in the activities as much or as little as they desire. It’s a totally voluntary event — extroverts are encouraged to sit at a large table center stage, while the more timid are consigned to the “cheeky seats” surrounding it. On opening night, some audience members made significant contributions to the hilarity, especially a local named Malcolm who acted as sous chef while cracking a few jokes of his own.

No comedy is complete without tension, and Mrs. Krishnan (Kalyani Nagarajan) delivers it in full — initially reluctant, then accepting, she pours herself into preparing dal (lentils) with onions, garlic, tomatoes and rice, jabbering away as she does so. Her high-pitched staccato delivery and frenetic physical comedy combine to disarm and seduce the delighted audience.

Mrs. Krishnan repeatedly bemoans the fact that her architect son Apu can’t join the party, and neither can her late husband, but she’s also stoic in facing these disappointments. Caution to probable diners: Mr. Krishnan’s ashes may or may not get accidentally mixed into the dal.

She spills rice on the floor and makes only the most cursory attempt to clean it up. Instead, she and James dance on it while the huge pot simmers. The aroma is intoxicating, a precursor to a plateful of delicious food for each visitor at the show’s end. She also gives us a mythology lesson while cooking, about how Hindu deity Vishnu clashed with Mahabali. Imagine Julia Child meets Monty Python meets The History Channel and you have some vague idea of the wild shenanigans taking place in Mrs. Krishnan’s back room.

Nagarajan is absolutely fantastic in embodying the worrisome but domineering Mrs. Krishnan. It’s only at the show’s close that she removes her cosmetic teeth and defaults to her New Zealand accent. Rogers never relents in his high-spirited provocation of the audience. You couldn’t ask for a more effective MC for any event.

“Mrs. Krishnan’s Party” isn’t an intellectual discourse or deeply felt drama. It’s simply an incredibly engaging and joyful participatory comedy — part scripted, part improvisational and all fun. Purportedly, Indian Ink Theatre Co. has been touring the show for eight years, mostly in North America. Once you’ve attended, you’ll understand its longevity and popularity.

Barry Willis is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association and president of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. Contact him at barry.m.willis@gmail.com.