"Monsoon Wedding" at Berkeley Rep

Berkeley Rep photo by Kevin Berne

I'm a sucker for weddings. I love them. They're so fun, so hopeful and forward-looking. I don't think I've ever been to a wedding I didn't enjoy. And I'm also a fan (not a huge or knowledgeable one, but a fan) of Bollywood musicals. The color and energy and spectacle of them is just incredibly fun, even if the story isn't always compelling. So of course I was going to go see Monsoon Wedding at Berkeley Rep. Director Mira Nair spearheaded the conversion of her romantic comedy movie into a stage musical, which is promising.

The Play

There is a lot to like in the story line of the play: You get the arranged-marriage, girl-meets-boy angle, the ex-pat and native angle, the wealthy/middle class/serving class conflict, religious issues, more marigolds than you can imagine, and a great many songs with dancing. It's all there. And there is plot, but I have to say that although there are the outlines of some decent stories here, the motivations of the characters are pretty thin, so you just have to kind of go along for the ride. Suspend your disbelief and wait for the next dance number.

It's a reasonably large cast, with 18 named roles and a couple of swing actors, plus a 7-member band/orchestra. So there's a lot going on. But ultimately it feels like it tries to do too much. When you have to make room for all the big musical numbers, some of the dialogue has to go, but it feels like Nair tried to keep all the plot lines from the movie, and it doesn't feel like it really does any of them justice (other than maybe the secondary romance of Alice and Dubey). Most just feel like you've gotten the Reader's Digest version of the story, which makes it sparse even by musical theater standards.

The Production

It's a big play. I mentioned the size of the cast and the number of musicians. And there are lots of colorful costumes (nice job there by designer Arjun Bhasin) and enjoyable songs by Vishal Bhardwaj and lyricist Susan Birkenhead. But interestingly, I felt particularly at the beginning, the show wasn't big enough to fill the stage. Obviously a stage show like this can't produce the overwhelming effects of the scores of extras in a Bollywood extravaganza, but I couldn't help feeling that different sets and maybe some projections could have made the set feel more full. Later on, with more set pieces on stage, it felt like it worked better.

And the producers make a big deal about having done a worldwide search for authentic Punjabi actors with proper accents and such to make the show just right. And that's great: the cast is quite good. The matched couple, Hemant (Michael Maliakel) and Aditi (Kuhoo Verma) have incredible voices, managing to sing strongly through a yoga class. Namit Das as PK Dubey really nails the comic acting I expect in an Indian comedy (and sings very well, too). There were a few moments where some of the actors fell a bit short of their notes or acted in a way that wasn't quite in sync with the rest of the cast, but for the most part, it was all good.

But it makes me wonder about the future of the play. If it takes a worldwide casting call to land just the right cast, what happens when they have to replace someone, or the show goes on tour, or it eventually gets produced in local theaters? When you're making a movie and doing it once, you write and cast for just the right stuff, and it lasts. But for the stage, you have to be a bit more forgiving, and I'm concerned that without the all-star cast, this show might not hold up quite so well.

Bottom Line

It's a big Punjabi wedding with colors and songs and dancing: What's not to like? It's an enjoyable show, and will likely never be better than in this world premiere production, so head on out to Berkeley. It's not a brilliant story, but it's quite a spectacle.