Yvonne Arnaud – until 29 April 2023
Reviewed by Heather Chalkley
4****
Writer Deborah Moggach has created a story of love, loneliness and finding your place to grow old. It opens the dialogue about the worthlessness older people feel in British society. No longer considered the responsibility of busy younger family members, before it is too late, you need to find a place to spend your later years. Somewhere you can feel comfortable, cared for and needed. It reflects how different it is in Indian culture and the weight of responsibility that young people feel there.
Nishad More gives his character Sonny Kapoor a frenetic energy that keeps the stage vibrant and active. The breadth and depth of emotion More (Sonny) goes through is impressive and looks exhausting! Mrs Kapoor (Rehka John-Cheriyan) plays with her son’s emotions, whilst clearly frightened she will end up like the new residents of the hotel. Through Sonny’s (More) clever thinking, they have all been sold a story of a cheap place to spend their final years in the warmth of the Indian sun and comfort of a luxury hotel. Dorothy (Paoloa Dionisotti) portrays a lost soul in search of her past. Dionisotti gives a touching performance of a fragile mind. The tale of finding love, whether old or young, is beautifully played out by Douglas (Paul Nicholas) and Evelyn (Tessa Peake-Jones), Sonny (More) and Sahani (Shila Iqbal). My favourite character has to be Madge (Belinda Lang), younger than you think and wiser than she looks! She adds another layer to this already humorous story. Both Madge (Lang) and Evelyn (Peake-Jones) give you some hope that we are moving past our British colonial mentally.
The set draws you in to the atmospheric, fairly dilapidated, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It has cleverly integrated different levels for different scenes, whilst providing space for the dynamic creation of the call centre and street scene. A good dose of joy is added by the choreography, especially in the final scene.
If you loved the film and have read the book it is based on ‘These Foolish Things’, you will not be disappointed.