Jaz Singh Deol, Anoushka Deshmukh, Irfan Shamji, Omar Malik, and Kiran Landa in Marriage Material at Lyric Hammersmith. Photography by Helen MurraySathnam Sanghera’s novel has been beautifully adapted by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti and now plays a limited run at the Lyric Hammersmith. Spanning several decades, the production’s cast of eight actors under the direction of Iqbal Khan, open a portal into a charming and insightful family story, where intergenerational concerns mingle with tragedy and laughter in every scene.
Surinder and Kamaljit (Anoushka Deshmukh and Kiran Landa) are a typical, playful pair until their father (Jaz Singh Deol) falls ill and dies, leaving their mother Mrs Bains (Avita Jay) to continue running the corner shop or sell out to her father’s one time protégé Dhanda (Irfan Shamji).
Each actor is required to age, or return to the story as next generation progeny, in a neatly revolving cycle which reflects the natural order of life and places familial connectedness at the centre of events. Dhanda’s character in particular, transitions from erstwhile respectful and appreciative, to the barely disguised embodiment of ambition, as he promotes the idea of himself as the ideal suitor for marriage to Surinder (despite having a wife who has returned to India) in a bid to control the Bains shop which he covets as the centrepiece to his burgeoning empire. When in old age, he boasts of having a slush puppy machine and chips served in heated boxes at the counters of his shops, you genuinely feel the pride in incremental progress and one-upmanship inherent in the boast. Like so many lightly proffered observations, it possesses a comedy element which is neatly timed and delivered to huge effect, largely due to cast members fitting seamlessly together, whilst never losing sight of their individuality.
Surinder’s future takes an altogether unfortunate turn as she escapes marriage to Dhanda by joining Jim (Tommy Belshaw) a travelling chocolate bar salesman and wannabe poet, at a rented bedsit in London. He quickly morphs from 60s bohemian to a selfish and narcissistic wastrel whom she leaves behind before reinventing her life as a property professional.
Acting as the all important gel to proceedings in Wolverhampton, is Kamaljit’s relationship to Tanvir (Omar Malik) who, whilst lacking ambition, is committed to being a strong and loyal support to the family in their time of need. Malik later returns as an altogether seedy and unpleasant nephew Ranjit who takes his cousin Arjan (marking the reappearance of Jaz Singh Deol) to a nightclub, where he takes drugs and sleeps with a random stranger. The resultant centre stage confessional with his partner Claire (Celeste Dodwell) marks an another high point to proceedings, where interracial relationship stress points are flexed and tested to devastating effect.
This joyous celebration of life in all its messy glory, continues at the Lyric Hammersmith until 21 June.
