A debut play by Manoj Raithatha, 'BBA & Proud' was a winner of Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival last year. In attempting to explain ethnic cultural diversity the play is a little mixed-up, like most British Born Asians (BBA.…geddit it?). The pace switches frenetically between English, Hindi and Gujarati and at times it feels like Manoj has tried to include every lame joke we have ever heard. From breaking off mid-sentence to sing well-known Bollywood lyrics to the telephone gag so well played out by Asian comedians.

The story is a humorous take on the lives of six Asian school friends from childhood to adulthood. There is Ravinder, wide boy entrepreneur who makes a million from operating Indian takeaways in libraries and invests it in the obligatory oil self-portrait. His paramour, Radha, a wannabe Asian Supermodel; DJ Romi who forfeits his dreams of mixing up tracks to be a lawyer. Romi is equally doomed in his love for his white girlfriend, Julie. Sunil is the one who thinks he can pass for white only to be "saved" from his fate by Rajesh, the gay doctor.

The sub plot between repressed homosexual Sunil, played by Alec Christie, and the exuberant gay doctor Rajesh, played by Abdala Keserwasni, was the most intriguing part of the plot. Manoj Raithatha could have written the entire play on this story line alone as many human failings were so poignantly displayed. Anger, denial, dementia, delusion, control, obsession and hate. A heady mix not widely explored in Asian plays. Both Christie and Keserwani gave good performances.

The outcome for the rest is pretty humdrum. You can easily forecast what happens to Ravinder, Radha, Romi and Julie - we probably all know many such characters among British Born Asians.

Continuity in this play is a bit of a problem though, admittedly it is difficult to transcend several years in a few short minutes but a little stage management could have overcome it. The first half is too slow and very much like a school play. BBA tries to give out too many differing messages, when really only one will do, i.e. that British Born Asians all pretty "mixed up", a cultural cocktail.

Manoj Raithatha has the skill to distil out the which is truly amusing or poignant. Adding in all the jokes from his entire repertoire is like bludgeoning the punch line. I look forward to his next play, may I suggest it should be perhaps a black comedy?

About BBAwaaz

British Asian Culture had propelled itself into the mainstream. BBAwaaz is at the forefront of the exploration of contemporary British Asian life. By offering a unique blend of live Asian Dance music, movement and text, this new theatre company brings an alternative look at the changes in attitudes towards sexuality, traditional gender roles and family relationships.

Founded by Manoj Raithatha in February 2000, the company intends to combine performance styles, extracted from both British and Asian theatre traditions. 'BBA & Proud' is the company's first production.

Click here to visit the BBAwaaz website.

Top