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Where’s My Desi Soulmate?
Written by Sonia Likhari & Harvey Virdi Conceived and Directed by Pravesh Kumar Theatre Royal Stratford East 10 – 29 March 2009
A review by Colette Gunn-Graffy for EXTRA! EXTRA!
Prince Charming is about as real as Sherlock Holmes – so why do we keep searching for him as though he exists? This is the lament of Poppy, a south Asian thirty-something who has a successful job in the City, owns a house, drives a sports car and has plenty of friends, but cannot seem to find that ‘Special Someone’. Talking about herself on camera for the singles’ site ‘Desi Soulmates’, Poppy admits the trouble might be that she knows exactly what she wants, and that doesn’t include settling for second-best. Yet Poppy is not alone. Where’s My Desi Soulmate? is not just the title of the latest offering by South Asian theatre company Rifco Arts (formerly The Reduced Indian Film Company); it is the half-joking, half-wistful sigh of single British Asians everywhere. (‘Desi’ refers to a person of South Asian origin.) According to playwrights Sonia Likhari and Harvey Virdi, finding a life partner used to be easy – arranged marriages, it seems, did offer certain benefits. Left to their own devices, however, contemporary desis are having to explore new ways of locating ‘the One’ – with mixed results. From singles’ sites to bhangra nights to the bestsellers of self-professed ‘romance gurus’, Where’s My Desi Soulmate? charts many of the strategies that at first seem promising but all too often lead to further disappointment. Indeed, one of this play’s strengths is its ability to make us laugh even as we feel the pain of recognition: for who hasn’t made an awkward mess of themselves in front of the object of their affection? Experienced rejection? Or never at least once despaired of finding love? Developed out of a series of interviews conducted with British Asian singletons, Where’s My Desi Soulmate? is something of an entertaining mishmash. It opens with sassy TV show host Cherry Mirza (the delightful Sharona Sassoon) attempting to play matchmaker with members of the theatre audience. The scene then jumps between Cherry’s talk show (today’s topic being, of course,‘Where’s My Desi Soulmate?) and three other major storylines: there’s professional Londoner Poppy and recently-divorced, plain-speaking Northerner Maz, both of whom are pinning their hopes on an internet singles’ site; geeky pharmacist Rajen who harbours a crush on his spirited co-worker Preeti; and Shusheila, a boisterous widow who seeks out Joggi, a gay postman, for an unusual friendship. With four actors playing over a dozen major and bit characters, the play sometimes has the feel of a sketch show. And yet, the actors are so sincere, so likeable, that the play rarely slips into parody or stereotype. Even though we know Rajen (Simon Rivers) is going to get the girl in the end (after all, how many rom-coms have been built on the same premise?), as played by Rivers, he is so endearing, we feel compelled to watch him crash and burn, until finally, he gets it right. Similarly, Pooja Ghai as Shusheila and Ankur Bahl as Joggi, though hilarious in their turn, never lose touch with what is most human about their characters. Like the cast, the beauty of Simon Kenny’s set design lies in its honesty and versatility. The minimal set-up of screens and benches transforms easily from TV soundstage to local pharmacy to Indian prison, and allows for clips of interviews (presumably part of the original material for the play) to be projected on the walls between scenes. It’s a nice touch, reminding us just how many singles there are out there, but also somewhat humorous in the fact that they usually claim to be looking for the same thing – beauty, smarts, sense of humour, etc. When it comes down to it, Where’s My Desi Soulmate? is not an earth-shattering production. Though the play raises questions about romance and cultural expectations, it never probes into these too deeply or supplies much in the way of answers. Instead, it’s a very enjoyable romp that gently pokes fun at our obsession with finding that perfect someone. It is not that our expectations are too high per se, but perhaps they keep us from seeing what is right in front of us. After all, as Cherry Mirza encourages the audience, your desi soulmate might be the very person sitting next to you: you will never know if you don’t make a move.
Tuesday – Saturday @ 7:30 pm Saturday 21st, Sunday 22nd, Saturday 28th &Sunday 29th @ 3 pm Tickets £8 - £14 Box Office: 020 8534 0310 www.stratfordeast.com Theatre Royal Stratford East, Gerry Raffles Square, London E15 1BN
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y Couzen