Olney Theatre Center: A Nice Indian Boy

A nice comedy, well played and thoroughly enjoyed.

The plot is one you may have seen before in various iterations, the movie "Chicken Tikka Masala" comes to mind.  A traditional family, this time Indian, immigrates to the United States and raises a family.  The children are torn between the culture they were born into with all of its assimilating treasures, and their parents cultural expectations.  Parents who just don't understand them.  The daughter is in a loveless arranged marriage and suddenly returns home to announce that she wants to divorce her perfect, dispassionate, neurosurgeon husband.  Afraid of being the center of a whorl wind of negative attention, Arundhathi has nothing to worry about.  Her baby brother, Naveen, has just brought home his boyfriend, Keshav Kurundkar, who is 1) White, and 2) more Indian than either she or her brother!  HE is the "Nice Indian Boy".  The dialogue is witty and while replete with comedic low hanging fruit, also doesn't skirt deeper issues in building and revealing the love that both is there, and will be there.  

The cast was delightful.  And the play is constructed in such a way to give each of the five members opportunities to rise up and shine.  However the glue is the son, Naveen, played by Carol Mazhuvancheril.  An actor with experience on and off Broadway, he not only masterfully delivered a regular spurge of dialogue, but also adeptly handled the sparse moments, the pregnant pause, and most impressively the non-verbal expressions created with his eyes, mouth, face.  He new the character so well, that he became Naveen.  

Throughout the play there are moments in which Punjabi is spoken in brief dialogue.  And here I want to credit the white actor, Noah Israel for his command of the pronunciation.  The audience was about 25-30% South Asian, and if I were to go by their reactions, I am standing on firm ground.

You know I love a good set.  This one was delightfully utilitarian.  It appeared to be a home from left to right with a dining room, and large functioning kitchen in the middle and a living room on the right with stairs to a second floor.  Throughout the show, food simmered in the kitchen and was prepared on counter tops.  Actors availed themselves of the sink to wash their hands and utensils.  But the first time the side-by-side refrigerator was opened, it revealed the foyer of a Hindu Temple and actors emerged who stepped forward to say prayers to the Elephant-headed god Ganesha.  The audience squealed in delight!  At other moments cabinets were opened to reveal neon lights, and cascading leis of marigolds!  These little conceits gave scene changes using the same single home a magical appeal, and contributed to the magical transformation that occurred in the lives of the characters.  

The final scene is punctuated by an extended Bollywood dance number which all of the cast engaged in.  I enjoyed it; however, if I were lodge on complaint it would have been that this could have benefitted from some selective editing.

Extended to April 16th after selling out weeks ago.  If you live here and can go, do.  

Naveen, (Carol Mazhurvancheril) [on right] meets Keshav (Noah Israel) [on left] at the temple for the first time.

Keshva and Naveen hit it off big time.

After six-months, it's time to introduce Kashav to Naveen's parents: Archit Gavaskar (Abhimanyu Katyal) and Megha Gavaskar (Lynette Rathnam).

Too eager to please and be accepted by the Gavaskar's, Keshav over does it and then commits a major faux pas.

Back at their apartment, Naveem and Keshav argue and Keshav splits.

But love will out, and they meet again at the temple and reconcile.

In an attempt to make amends, Keshav visits Archit alone and wins him over.

The wedding is on!  Megha, Arundhathi (Jessica Jain) and Naveen talk about the ingredients that make for a successful marriage.  This scene was especially fun.  Megha talks about the wonders of cooking, and every line is a double entendre for sex that confuses her children and delights the audience.