RAFTA, RAFTA . . . on tour till 14 March
RAFTA, RAFTA: Ayub Khan-Din, based on ALL IN GOOD TIME by Bill Naughton.
NT on Tour.
Birmingham Rep 31 Jan – 16 Feb.
Runs: 2 h 25m.
Review: Rod Dungate, 4 Feb 2008.
Feel good.
RAFTA, RAFTA . . . makes for a thoroughly good evening out. It’s slice-of-family-life strikes a chord in all of us; it’s happy ending is warmingly old-fashioned. And, too, I like the gentle satire of its plot.
Atul Dutt has just married Vina Patel . . . both are virgins. The wedding celebrations are filled with ribald sexual double-entendres from the men and knowing glances of babies to be made from the women. But Atul is at odds with his traditional father – father and son are in competition. The complication of the piece arises when Atul, on his wedding night, is unable to achieve an erection – the play doesn’t put it as baldly as this – and the problem continues.
Vina’s mother finds out and then the whole world seems to know. Atul’s temporary dysfunction brings shame on his family and both families are desperate to sort it out, more for their own good than Atul’s and Vina’s.
This delightful play pokes a gentle finger at the culture’s pressure on young families to have babies as quickly as possible – a woman’s place, presumably – coupled with their inability to discuss sex in any rational, open or wholesome way. Torn apart by this cultural clash are the young couple, touchingly played by Ronny Jhutti and Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi; both of them present a vulnerable innocence that draws us into the story and keeps us there.
On the night I saw it, Simon Nagra played Atul’s father Eeshwar; larger than life, he’s a totally likeable character. Well, not totally, there are times when his ego and his old-fashioned beliefs make you want to hit him. Superb is Pooja Ghai as Eeshwar’s wife, Lopa. First appearances might indicate she’s under her husband’s thumb, but as the play progresses and we learn to read her wryly amused smile, we understand this is the person with her finger on the pulse. Ghai’s performance is a gentle and understated gem.
With a terrific twist in its tail (don’t blink or you’ll miss it) this is something really to warm your heart on these cold evenings.
Eeshwar Dutt: Simon Nagra.
Atul Dutt: Ronny Jhutti.
Jai Dutt: Rudi Dharmalingam.
Etash Tailor: Kal Aise.
Jivaj Bhatt: A N Other.
Lopa Dutt: Pooja Ghai.
Lata Pater: Shaheen Khan.
Vina Pater: Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi.
Molly Bhatt: Natalie Grady.
Laxman Patel: Kriss Dosanjh.
Director: Nicholas Hytner.
Recreated by: Iqbal Khan.
Designer: Tim Hatley.
Lighting Designer: Hugh Vanstone.
Music: Niraj Chag.
Sound Designer: Paul Groothuis.
Company Voice Work: Jeannette Nelson.
Dialect Coach: Kate Godfrey.
2008-02-05 22:35:56