Happy Birthday Sunita
Theatre Royal Windsor
Until Saturday, June 3
01753 853888
https://theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk/
It’s Sunita’s 40th birthday. She’s unmarried, has no friends, lives with her mum and has an unfulfilling job at the Council.
When her mum Tejpal (Divya Seth Shah) decides to throw Sunita (Bhawna Bhawsar) a small family birthday party emotions are stirred and subjects brought to the surface that have lain dormant for many years.
Billed as a comedy, much of the play is rather poignant, dealing with issues of how a Sikh family can reconcile their culture with the Western society they live in.
Much of the humour comes from sister-in-law Harleen (Rameet Rauli) who is keen to show off her limited knowledge of Punjabi, much to the amusement of the diverse audience, many of whom obviously appreciated and had perhaps experienced many of the situations and references.
Directed by Pravesh Kumar
Written by Harvey Virdi
One of the main themes is how Sunita, as a daughter, was treated very differently to her brother Nav (Devesh Kishore), denied the chance to attend university and the expectation that she should be married with a family.
Throughout the play each family member is confronted with their own prejudices and the weight of expectations upon them.
Without giving too much away, a surprise visitor is the catalyst for the various elephants in the room to be confronted and the way opened up for a happy ending for all concerned.
JUDITH CREIGHTON
