May is a very busy time in theatre and there is a lot on which means that asianculturevultures are spoilt for choice. These productions will take you across the globe, from Afghanistan to Venice to India and back to Blighty and will make you laugh and cry…
By Suman Bhuchar
A Thousand Splendid Suns – resilience & friendship in Afghanistan
taken on the 11th April 2025 at Birmingham Rep ©EllieKurttz
THIS is a heart wrenching sequel to the book /film ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khalid Hosseini, which was first dramatised for the stage in 2019 by writer Ursula Rani Sarna and directed by Roxane Silbert.
Now it’s back and opened at the Birmingham Rep and will be touring Nottingham Playhouse and then Leeds Playhouse (see listings below).
‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’ is set in 1992, it’s the story of two women Miriam (Rina Fatania) and Laila (Kerena Jagpal) who are the older and younger wives of Rasheed (Jonas Khan), a violent man. Mariam has no choice but to accept her younger rival. As the Taliban take over, life becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, and the two women find themselves unlikely allies. But hope is to be found in the unlikeliest of places and “how even in the darkest of times and places, love can grow and sustain the human spirit beyond all pain and hardship,” said Sarna.
Catch it on tour and bring your tissues…
Nottingham Playhouse, Wellington Circus, Nottingham NG1 5AF May 13 – 24
https://nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/events/a-thousand-splendid-suns/
Leeds Playhouse, Playhouse Square, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UP May 28 – June 14
https://www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/event/a-thousand-splendid-suns/#book-now
Marriage Material – Family shop fortunes in novel adaptation
EVERYONE is looking forward to the world premiere of this adaptation of Sathnam Sanghera’s book ‘Marriage Material’.
The stage play is written by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, who said: “It’s been a privilege to take on this powerful and authentic story of a Punjabi family, exploring what people gain and lose as they make new lives in the UK.”
This is the story of the Bains family – Arjan (Jaz Singh Deol), a graphic designer, returns home to run the family convenience store in West Midlands, after his father dies.
What will his fiancé make of this and how will his sisters Kamaljit (Kiran Landa) and Surinder (Anoushka Desmukh) make of this change in family life?
It is directed by Iqbal Khan.
The Lyric Square, King St, London W6 0QL May 22 – June 21
https://lyric.co.uk/shows/marriage-material/
Insane Asylum Seekers – Refugee drama is funny and moving…
WRITTEN by the British Iraqi playwright, Laith Elzubaidi, founder of the British Arab Writers Group, ‘Insane Asylum Seekers’, this is a world premiere of the play which won the Tony Craze Award in 2023 (a competition run by Soho Theatre).
Funny and deeply moving, it explores the complexities of the British-Iraqi refugee experience and is a personal story.
Actor, Tommy Sim’aan plays Laith and the show is directed by Emily Ling-Williams.
‘Insane Asylum Seekers’ weaves together several true stories of British Iraqi experiences and as such it is recommended for age 14+. It has depictions of mental health, obsessive compulsive disorder (ocd), anxiety – audiences are advised to check out the content guidance.
Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Rd, London W12 8LJ May 8 -June 7
https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/insane-asylum-seekers/
In Search of Goldoni – Family holiday in search of big questions
A SOLO comedic show, written and performed by Siakat Ahamed and directed by Alix Harris (the director of Beyond Face Productions).
Basically, the story is that ‘Siakat’ is dragging is family around Venice looking for the perfect ice-cream as well as a person called (Carlo) Goldoni (1707-1793), who was a playwright and considered to be the father of Italian comedy. Meanwhile, he has still to process his grief at losing his dad.
‘In Search of Goldoni’ asks the big questions: what is life really about, what happens when we leave this earth and what the hell is granita menthe?
This opened at the Bristol Old Vic and is now touring until May 23 – see various locations
Plymouth, Liskeard, Falmouth, London, Colchester
https://www.beyondface.co.uk/productions
Come Fall in Love musical – legendary couple story comes to the UK stage
BOLLWYOOD romance comes to the UK stage in this classic tale, ‘Come Fall in Love’, adapted from the Indian blockbuster, ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ or ‘DDLJ’ as many fondly call it. The film came out in 1995 and continues to wow audiences with its story.
Directed by Aditya Chopra, who also helms this stage show, it’s a love story between Raj (Shah Rukh Khan) and Simran (Kajol) who live in London and meet inter-railing around Europe.
In this stage version, ‘Come Fall in Love’, Raj (has become Rog) is now played as an American laid back geezer by Ashley Day, while Jena Pandya (‘Bhangra Nation’) is Simran.
Her father Baldev is played by Irvine Iqbal, while mum, Lajjo is played by Harveen Maan-Neary.
There are 18 new songs in this English production with iconic Indian composer duo, Vishal and Sheykhar, providing the music; the book and lyrics are by Nell Benjamin.
It is a much talked about show and the World Premiere of the stage show, ‘Come Fall in Love’ was produced in 2022 at The Old Globe, San Diego, California. You can hear Iqbal talk about it here.
Manchester Opera House, 3 Quay Street, Manchester M3 3HP – May 29-June 21
https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/come-fall-in-love/opera-house-manchester
Biting Point – Site specific show on road rage
FEELING rage while driving seems to be a current theme of interest.
‘Biting Point’ is a site specific play written by Sid Sagar and produced by Middle Child, a theatre company based in Hull and this is helmed by Paul Smith, the artistic director.
‘Biting Point’ is a show that explores what makes us angry and can turn good people ugly. It will be performed in car parks and tours the north of England.
Supermarket driver, John, a white British man and British South Asian property manager Anita live in the same city but when they collide at a roundabout in a rush hour traffic their anger boils over…The play ‘Speed’ on at the Bush Theatre until May 17 is about four people attending a speed awareness course.
Fruit Market Multi-Storey Car Park, Hull
Blackfriargate, HU1 1BH – May 10 – 18
Tour details below
https://www.middlechildtheatre.co.uk/biting-point
And Sagar also features in…
‘MRS WARREN’S PROFESSION’ is a major revival of the George Bernard Shaw social commentary play around morality, featuring Imelda Staunton in the titular role, along with her real life daughter, Bessie Carter playing her daughter, Vivie.
Mrs Warren has made her money through running brothels, which has helped to provide a good education for Vivie. What impact does this have on the mother-daughter relationship and what does the play say about the role of women and equality across gender?
It opens at the Garrick in London
The Garrick, 2 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0HH – May 10-August 16
https://thegarricktheatre.co.uk/tickets/mrs-warrens-profession/ –
Evening Conversations – Mother and sons have ‘DMC’, sort of…
ACV HAS been following the progress of artist Sudha Bhuchar on her journey to perform her solo show, ‘Evening Conversations’ a hundred times. She invites her sons to “crack open a cold one” and have a DMC – Deep, Meaningful, Conversation!
Delivered with warmth and candour, Bhuchar talks to her sons about identity, bad genes, feminism, The Mahabharata and much more. And in the words of our reviewer “you will leave the theatre, thoughtful and smiling”. (Review link below).
OSO Arts Centre, Old Sorting Office, 49 Station Road, Barnes, London SW13 – May 24
3.30pm & 7.30pm (approximately 72 mins)
https://osoarts.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/1173662940
Mrs Bibi – Award winning dramatist’s new radio drama
IF YOU PREFER to listen to your drama, then look no further than Audible Original Drama which has dropped a new play, ‘Mrs Bibi’ by Waleed Akhtar.
Yasmin (Laila Rouass) lands a part in a sitcom, playing ‘Mrs Bibi’, but just as her career is taking off and she has a toy-boy boyfriend, her sister, Fauzia (Bharti Patel) phones her with the devastating news about her mother, (Nimra Bucha).
Akhtar packs in a lot in the story, personal reckonings, versus visibility in the creative industry to navigating success versus fulfilment.
Directed by Tessa Walker with sound design by Tim Kim and Holly Khan and original music by Niraj Chag. Akhtar’s ‘The P Word’ won an Olivier in 2023.
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Mrs-Bibi-Audiobook/B0DWNHQWXK
The Vanishing Elephant – larger than life tale of boy & companion
THIS is a story of a young boy and his friendship with an Elephant on an incredible journey from Bengal to Broadway told through theatre and puppetry. Opens at the Queen Elizabeth Hall at the Southbank Centre
May 29-June 1 – before going on tour (see link)
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/the-vanishing-elephant/
https://cahootsni.com/thevanishingelephantprogramme/
The Live Aid Musical which www.asianculturevulture.com reviewed and is called ‘Just For One Day’ is coming to the Shaftesbury Theatre from May 15 – we saw it at the Old Vic in 2024 and you can read our review here.
Shaftesbury Theatre, 210 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8DP from May 15
Check dates and times – https://www.shaftesburytheatre.com/events/just-for-one-day-live-aid-musical/
