REVIEW: Surinderella

© Rifco

A brand new Bollywood style panto premieres in the West Midlands to usher in Diwali and light up the stage with some diversifying magic.

Surinderella is now playing at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre.

This inventive and witty family show is written by Pravesh Kumar and produced by Rifco Theatre Company and Wolverhampton Grand Theatre in association with Imagine Theatre and Watford Palace Theatre.

Christmas may still be a few months away but the shops are already stocked up with mince pies and wrapping paper, and over in Wolverhampton the stage is glowing with lights and theatrical delights with a fantastic new show that fuses panto traditions with firecracker Desi vibes as Diwali draws near.

The zany story for this show is taken from the timeless folk tale of Cinderella – which has inspired countless films, cartoons, and pantos – and spun and coloured it with Indian vibes and flavours.

Surinder, who lives in Bolly-Woods, is a hardworking girl who never has a moment to herself because her two selfish sisters keep the poor girl busy with a long list of jobs around the house than never seem to end. The life of poor Surinder is so wretched that her only friend and confidant is a cow named Basanti.

Rescue for Surinder from her life of drudgery comes in the form of Devi Godmother who uses her magic to get Surinder to the royal palace where she can dance away the night with Prince Kavi who is under constant pressure to get hitched and settle down.

The tongue-in-cheek atmosphere is perfectly in keeping with the subversive take on the story that which employs comedy, melodrama and plenty of singing and dancing with music overseen by Wolverhampton musician Harpreet Singh Jandu (Panjabi By Nature) and music director Hinal Pattani.

The timing of this masala show is perfect. Diwali is coming, Christmas is not too far away, and this show offers the perfect antidote to all the recent political headlines that have polarised communities up and down the country. The unifying elements in this panto bring healing and understanding through the fusion of Eastern and Western traditions which tap into various cultural styles of music and dance to bring much needed joy and affirm a shared humanity.

This joyous and colourful show celebrates life and sprinkles laughter, and the material is so infectious that the audience responds to the theatrical magic regardless of racial or social background.

Sonya Venugopal is captivating as Surinder and she makes the audience feel her predicament as she’s forced to endure the daily barbs of sarcasm pelted at her by her cruel sisters who take joy in setting task after task for poor Surinder. Sonya lights up the stage with her transformation from Surinder to the flamboyant Surinderella.

Rory Dulku brings a regal quality to his role as the handsome Prince Kavi while Dhruv Ravi brings the right level of comedy in the part of Babloo which he performs with real glee.

Leela Kapil is an inspirational performer and gets a well deserved thumbs-up for her hard work playing Basanti. Her smile reaches out and goes right into the heart of the audience.

Devi Godmother, played by Bhavini Sheth, literally steals every scene in a performance that is full of mischief, charm and impeccable comedy timing.

Surinder’s two sisters, Lovely and Bubbly, are brought to life by Neil Varu and Raheem Payne. Both of them are so devilishy good in their roles that they offer some serious competition to Bhavini Sheth’s Devi Godmother. Their gestures, utterances, and body language brought howls of laughter from the appreciative audience. This comedy double-act brought to mind the antics and partnership of Laurel and Hardy.

The ensemble work by Kuldeep Goswami and Kiran Kaanan also deserves praise for their dedication and effort. This is a show where the entire team worked together in unison so produce a magical show.

Rifco Theatre Company – whose previous success includes Frankie Goes to Bollywood – once again proves that when it comes to South Asian dance this is the no.1 company to watch. The roster of Rifco talent mentioned above brings some graceful, energetic and athletic dancing to the show with spicy choreography by Anna-Maria Barber.    

Ameet Chana directs the show with an expert hand, and things are kept flowing beautifully with the perfect balance of comedy and audience engagement.

Surinderella is a sparkling fun-packed show full of spicy singing and dancing.

Verdict: ★★★★★

Surinderella is now playing at the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday 27^th September