A conversation with the Tamasha
co-founder proves to be a long-winded road circling endless (and repeated) discussions with family in this meandering fourth-wall breaking monologue:
By Hamza Jahanzeb, 08.09.2024
Leaving Earlsfield station, and one turn to the right meant I found myself confronted with a tall building in a row of terraced buildings emblazoned with the words ‘Tara Theatre’. It is here that the Tara Theatre is housed. Founded originally in Battersea in 1977 (by a group of co-founders including Jatinder Varma MBE), it has a history of being a theatre that puts on politically charged plays – through a South Asian lens – given it was set up in the response to the racist murder of 17-year-old Gurdip Singh Chaggar.
Tonight was the time for me to go along to my first event staged in this space, and what a mighty space it is with an auditorium of 100 seats (a exposed London brick and oak wood wall lay bare) with a static set consisting of a chair, yoga mat/bricks and a suitcase. It features frank and open dialogue with her sons, which I had hoped had a more interesting nature of being included as opposed to impressions of each person.
The piece is titled Evening Conversations – a one-person play by Sudha Bhuchar (EXPATs, Mary Poppins Returns). Written by Bhuchar herself, the piece is directed by Kristine Landon-Smith and the music that engulfs you as you enter is by Arun Ghosh, which she gleefully states upon entering. It seemed to me like a promising premise: one of a mother, a wife and an actor-writer who wants to share her own experiences of navigating life (I liked how the writer’s parents fled two countries, and that was communicated in a rather profoundly moving way). Despite a few odd lines (including one where she’s ‘crack[ing] open a cold one’), but the crowd aren’t in a pub – nor are the ‘call and response’ making it feel like it was cabaret-inspired, either. It’s a kind of humour which didn’t explore the funniness of diaspora plights. I feel, it didn’t land as fully on the night I went. There’s no explanation except the odd ramble, nor is there a journey to finding out about the characters in the Bhuchar family.
The millennial/gen z sons don’t appear to given enough nuance, and instead feel like a plot device to further the next ‘scene’. To me, there’s a missed opportunity given that there could have been some brilliant conversations, but this piece felt dated in 2024 (it’d had an outing a few years prior, with it being mounted at Soho Theatre and the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023), some re-working towards a tight(er) piece could have been beneficial to this piece’s trajectory.
For the entirety of this piece (around 70 minutes), the fourth wall is broken and we’re invited into Bhuchar’s leafy Wimbledon home. What’s jarring is the talk of austerity against the backdrop of a rather affluent area. People’s first-hand experience of ageing are always welcomed and I’m open to hearing them out, though this piece had me slightly confused. It was a bold move to begin a a show by applying make-up: the audience are invited to choose the lipstick to be applied, and whilst we weren’t in a concert nor had we a warm up act, this was audience participation bordering on cringe. Watching someone transform or touch up their make-up for the stage is inviting the audience to their world. One of constant appearances, I suppose. I do, however, wish the chronology of this piece started with some linearity and had greater focus.
The poetic nature of the script does mean that it picks a bit of a pace, though the need to understand two sons of mixed heritage turn to a rather banal mode of storytelling. The lines are littered with Punjabi authenticity – such as the word for girl i.e. kudhi (girl). I’d loved more of the double migration story of Bhuchar’s parents, for that was what lit up the room and wish more was investigated given the conversational tone of the piece.
Overall, this piece is suited for the diaspora or those wanting an insight into an interesting life lived, though I found it hard to engage in its fullness – the mocking accent of an Indian-accented parent felt like it was pandering comedic laughter to a certain audience. It felt to me like there was a missing piece of a jigsaw, that made it a show with a scatter-gun approach but one that I am quite glad exists given its bold topics. The title of this was ‘Evening Conversations’, and perhaps the show would have been more impactful were it a conversation between Sudha and her parents.
** N.B Full disclosure: This review was written with the writer’s original thoughts devoid of any external influence of the stakeholders involved from the production company, in exchange for a gratis complimentary ticket **
LISTING INFORMATION:
🗓️September 6, 5pm & 8pm
📍Tara Theatre, 356 Garratt Lane London SW18 4ES
www.taaratheatre.com
Tickets £15 (£12)
Age Guidance 14+
Running time: Approx. 70 mins