Mira Nair’s hit film is now a musical playing at St. Ann’s Warehouse (photo by Matthew Murphy)
MONSOON WEDDING
St. Ann’s Warehouse
45 Water St.
Through June 25, $59-$159
718-254-8779
stannswarehouse.org
St. Ann’s Warehouse is hosting a celebration to remember with award-winning filmmaker Mira Nair’s return to theater, Monsoon Wedding: The Musical. Fifteen years in the making, the two-and-a-half-hour show might be overstuffed and underdeveloped, but it is also a whole lot of fun.
The festivities begin with a preshow march in the lobby with members of the Brooklyn band Red Baraat and others, holding signs and mini-chandeliers and playing brass instruments and percussion; a few times a week, Nair herself is at the head of the procession, encouraging everyone to dance. Ticket holders are then led to either the groom’s side or the bride’s side of the theater; the audience sits in rising rafters on three sides of the stage.
The story is essentially the same as the Golden Lion–winning movie; screenwriter Sabrina Dhawan cowrote the book with associate director Arpita Mukherjee, with lyrics by Tony nominees Masi Asare and Susan Birkenhead. Lalit (Gagan Dev Riar) and Pimmi Verma (Palomi Ghosh), who live in Delhi, have arranged for their daughter, Aditi (Salena Qureshi), to marry the Hoboken-based Hemant (Deven Kolluri), son of Indian Americans Mohan (Jonathan Raviv) and Saroj Rai (Meetu Chilana).
“Hello! Nice to meet you / No, you go first please / chodo the formalities / Oh, hello, hello, hello, hello / Ji, namaste, chalo,” the four parents sing. “We’re all in this together from now / We’re stuck in this together and how much fun, fun, fun! / How fun! / Your family together with us / Two families and lots to discuss.” They soon find out just how much they really do have to discuss, and not all of it is fun.
Hemant (Deven Kolluri) and Aditi (Salena Qureshi) prepare for their arranged marriage in Monsoon Wedding: The Musical (photo by Matthew Murphy)
The materialistic Aditi has been seeing Vikram (Manik Anand), a smarmy, and married, television host. Hemant is coming off a bad relationship. As they explore what their future might be like together, wedding planner PK Dubey (Namit Das) falls for the Vermas’ maid, Alice (Anisha Nagarajan), but is worried that his mother (Sargam Ipshita Bali) won’t approve of the union on religious grounds. Aditi’s cousin Ria (Sharvari Deshpande), who was raised by Lalit and Pimmi, is practically a spinster at thirty and considering going to school in New York. Ria is suspicious of her wealthy uncle Tej Puri (Alok Tewari), who is married to Lalit’s sister, Vijaya (Miriam A. Laube). Also on hand to help are Pimmi’s sister, Shashi (Sargam Ipshita Bali), and her husband, CL (Sevan); Ria’s young cousin, Aliya (Rhea Yadav), who Tej takes a liking to, and Aditi’s younger brother, Varun (Kinshuk Sen), who are preparing a special dance for the wedding; a chai shop owner who offers advice and tea to Hemant (and Diet Coke to Aditi); and Dubey’s comic relief employees, Bholuram (Bhaskar Jha), Lottery (Jamen Nanthakumar), and Mundu (Savidu Geevaratne).
There’s an endearing excitement to Vishal Bhardwaj’s score, as each song is presented in a different Indian style, a mix of raag, thumri, khayal, qawwali, and Pasoori, with playful choreography by Shampa Gopikrishna; the orchestrations are by Jamshied Sharifi, with additional orchestrations and arrangements by Rona Siddiqui. The score is performed by music director Emily Whitaker on keyboards, Soumitra Thakur on sitar, Alison Shearer on soprano sax and flute, Armando Vergara on trombone, Kenny Bentley on sousaphone and bass, Ruan Dugre on guitars, Greg Gonzalez on drums, and Mahavir Chandrawat on Indian percussion; the band sits at the back corners of the stage. As good as the music is — among the twenty songs are “Rain Is Coming (Tip Tip),” “Neither Here Nor There,” “The Heart Knows,” and “Could You Have Loved Me” — there is so much of it that some of the subplots are not fully formed and feel rushed, particularly regarding possible sexual abuse. In addition, Aditi’s transformation from materialistic South Delhi princess to a more caring soul happens too quickly, confusing the love story at the heart of the musical.
However, the show is worth seeing just for a Bollywood-like scene in which Dubey goes after Alice, on horseback, riding through a vast landscape, his hair blowing in the wind.
Jason Ardizzone-West’s set features Indian decorations, a couch that emerges from the back, and a balcony that evokes Romeo & Juliet. David Bengali’s projections range from archival photographs to abstract animation, with lush lighting by Bradley King. Arjun Bhasin, who designed the costumes for the film, contributes colorful, sparkling outfits as well as more customary, everyday Indian wear.
The cast, from India and the Indian diaspora, is lovely from top to bottom, anchored by Deshpande in her off-Broadway debut; her tender, complex performance as Ria represents the rift so many people experience, whether from India or elsewhere, trapped between the modern and the traditional, family life and individuality, and different religions, wanting to honor the past while seeking a brighter future, perhaps in America. “Is this my home, India? / Like a half-remembered song? / And when I meet by bride / will I feel like I belong?” Hemant sings. Whether we will belong or not is a question we’ve all asked ourselves, at one time or another.
Joyfully directed by Nair (Mississippi Masala, Salaam Bombay!), Monsoon Wedding: The Musical is a kind of Mumbai Fiddler on the Roof, with a soft heart, a mischievous sense of humor, and a touching honesty that is like a friend or relative’s wedding, balancing a series of emotions that can blow hot or cold at any given moment. And don’t forget to come ready to dance.