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Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
PATRICK MARMION reviews Marriage Material at the Lytic Theatre: Catherine Cookson meets The Kumars in a sweet Sikh sitcom
Marriage Material (Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith) Nobody does family quite like Indians do. For sheer intensity of generational bonds, they are hard to beat – as we discover all over again in the new stage adaptation of Sathnam Sanghera's epic Wolverhampton-set novel Marriage Material. But what's really fascinating about the story of two Sikh girls in Sixties and contemporary Britain is its secret nostalgia for old-fashioned patriarchal ways. We start in a red-brick terrace among first-generation Sikh immigrants, Mr and Mrs Bains (Jaz Singh Deol and Avita Jay), running a corner shop and demanding that bus conductors be allowed to wear turbans. It's a formidably male-dominated culture and although their daughter Surinder (Anoushka Deshmukh) is a plucky brainbox studying Thomas Hardy, her suspicious mother dismisses education as stopping people sleeping at night and making them 'force their toilet in the morning'. That line is greeted with howls of recognition, but the other daughter Kamaljit (Kiran Landa) makes herself a very happy marriage with hard-working, top-knotted Sikh-pride traditionalist Tanvir (Omar Malik). Indeed, Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's stage adaptation works much better as a hymn to traditional Sikh values, and misses their dramatic edge in a modern-day second half where everyone is culturally adrift. What feels like a Catherine Cookson yarn of hard work and adversity winds up becoming more like a Kumars sitcom. White characters are painfully two-dimensional and there is some truly risible dialogue. Even so, Iqbal Khan's epic production has an irresistible sweetness. Jay nails the conflicted ambivalence of the Indian matriarch, while Landa takes up her baton as her shy but passionate older daughter who falls for Malik's proud young Sikh, and Deshmukh locates the pain of the younger daughter and her desire to escape. For all its faults, just like family, it commands our loyalty. Until June 21, then at Birmingham Rep from June 25-July 5. The Beautiful Future Is Coming (Bristol Old Vic) Verdict: Smoke but no fire Rating: By Georgina Brown In the foyer of Bristol Old Vic, a newly planted field maple is flourishing, vivid green. Unlike the burnt, drowned landscape depicted by Flora Wilson Brown in this impressionistic, depressing play about climate change. The first of three tenuously related threads provides a trite historical backdrop. In 19th century New York, the patriarchal Royal Society rejects a paper about the greenhouse effect, penned by Phoebe Thomas's Eunice, corseted wife of supportive John (Matt Whitchurch), because she is a woman 'hobbyist'. The most absorbing strand is set in now-ish London, where Dan (outstanding Michael Salami) has fallen for his boss (Nina Singh). It's all teasing and sex until Daniel's mother drowns in a flood that, like the fires, are routine and catastrophic. Overwhelmed with fury and despair at a system which has allowed his mum's body to lie undiscovered, becoming hideously bloated, Daniel's inarticulate grief has a depth of feeling and eloquence lacking elsewhere. The least credible couple live in an imagined future (cue silly outfits). A heavily pregnant Ana (Rosie Dwyer) and her gormless colleague Malcom (James Bradwell) are scientists trying to germinate seeds in a rudimentary trough (unlikely). Cut off by a storm (as if), and now sharing their last flask of water (absurd — it has been raining for months), this is neither the place nor the time to bring a new baby into the world. The play's optimistic title suddenly appears bitterly ironic. 'How can you think about flooding in three years when now is taking all your attention?' someone asks. Which is perhaps Brown's point. With every day a firefight, fears about the future get sidelined. Director Nancy Medina's staging has an impressive fluidity with scenes gliding into each other through sliding panels. But the narratives fail to coalesce into a cohesive, satisfying drama. While climate change is indeed a burning issue, the play feels like a work in progress: all smoke and no fire. Until June 7. Marie And Rosetta (Rose Theatre, Kingston) Verdict: Raising the roof (of the church) Rating: We should all know about the pioneering gospel singer and guitarist Rosetta Tharpe, recognised by the musical cognoscenti as 'the godmother of rock 'n roll', a source of (acknowledged) inspiration for artists ranging from Little Richard to Johnny Cash, Elvis to Aretha Franklin. American playwright George Brant puts this forgotten heroine back in the spotlight she deserves. His play focuses on a life-changing moment: when Sister Rosetta invites a beautiful young gospel singer to join her on the road. Rosetta wants to get back to into the good books of the evangelic church, enraged by her raunchy secular songs with Cab Calloway in the Cotton Club. But first she has to teach Marie to put some swing in her voice and (more important) swagger in her hips. 'You can swing it for me, and I can church it up for you,' Rosetta cries. The magnificent Beverley Knight captures Rosetta's warmth and generosity, body and soul, encouraging Ntombizodwa Ndlovu's gauche 'shy violet' to open up like a passion flower, become bold and brazen. Bouncing off one another with energy and spin, their terrific talents combined, their powerhouse rendition of 'This Train' raises the roof, a duet made in heaven for, as Rosetta puts it, a God 'who don't want the Devil to get all the good music'. Set in a Mississippi funeral parlour, where the women are staying because black people were not permitted in hotels in the segregated South in the Forties, they rehearse for the first time before their tour to warehouses and hangars — the only places black folk can congregate unnoticed. The rehearsal over, the play loses its way and the rest of Rosetta's life — she married three times, lost a leg, had a stroke and, dirt poor, was buried in an unmarked grave — tumbles telling, no showing. But when this dynamic duo sing, the piece soars. In Kingston till tomorrow (May 24), then Wolverhampton, and Chichester. Also showing... This Is My Family (Southwark Playhouse) Verdict: Flat-pack family Rating: As a vision of domestic life, This Is My Family is an innocuously generic, flat-pack musical that feels like it could be knocked up from diagrams with Allen keys. First seen in Sheffield in 2013, Tim 'Calendar Girls' Firth's show is about a nuclear family in which the 13-year-old daughter wins a competition enabling her to take mum, dad and brother on holiday anywhere in the world. In typical Firth form (following Neville's Island), that means a wet staycation in a woodland. Dad (Michael Jibson) is a DIY-enthusiast who's a die-hard trier, Mum (Gemma Whelan) is an eyeball-rolling moaner, exasperated by his money-saving schemes. Their gothic son (Luke Lambert) lives in a kitchen cupboard, grandma (Gay Soper) is drifting into dementia and a randy aunt (Victoria Elliott) has a good gag about Wookey Hole. And they're capably led by teenage Nicky (Nancy Allsop), mixing Aled Jones with Roald Dahl's Matilda. Directed by Vicky Featherstone, the Royal Court Theatre's former boss, the production completes the B&Q look with Chloe Lamford's set of a fold-away fitted kitchen. But if you're hoping for more than flimsy sitcom stereotypes, you may be disappointed. Equally, it's perfectly inoffensive, slots together neatly and doesn't look too wonky. Until July 12.
Free Malaysia Today
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Free Malaysia Today
Netizens awed by Gurdeep's fluency in T'gganu dialect
21-year-old Gurdeep Singh Gill has over 48,000 followers on TikTok, where he shares content about religion, culture, and the beauty of Terengganu. (Gurdeep Singh Gill pic) KUALA TERENGGANU : Despite being of Punjabi descent, Gurdeep Singh Gill speaks just like a Terengganu local – fluent and effortless in the state's distinctive Malay dialect. Having grown up as part of a minority community, Gurdeep's fluency in 'Ganu', or the Terengganu dialect, impresses many and draws curious stares. The 21-year-old said he has been the object of such attention since he was a child, and sees it as a 'privilege' to be able to speak the rich local dialect of the east-coast state. And he never expected to gain popularity on TikTok, where he has amassed over 48,000 followers and more than a million 'likes' since August. It all started with a suggestion from his friends to take advantage of his uniqueness of being a 'Sikh who speaks Ganu'. Gurdeep now uses it as a platform to share knowledge about religion and culture, as well as to promote the beauty of his home state. ADVERTISEMENT VIDCRUNCH Next Stay Playback speed 1x Normal Quality Auto Back 360p 240p 144p Auto Back 0.25x 0.5x 1x Normal 1.5x 2x / Skip Ads by 'At first, I got a funny question from a viewer asking if I shower wearing my turban. I replied in Terengganu dialect, joking, 'Do you shower wearing a tudung?'' he said with a laugh. Having attended a Chinese school and grown up in a Malay-majority neighbourhood, Gurdeep is fluent in the Terengganu dialect and has close friends of various races. (Gurdeep Singh Gill pic) Gurdeep, a first-year bachelor of business administration student at a private university here, said he has never felt left out, even though, to his knowledge, there are only two Sikh families living in Terengganu, including his own. 'Of course, with this ability, I feel I'm quite 'rare' – I'm a minority within a minority. But this helps me feel no different from the Malay majority in this state,' he told Bernama. 'When you can speak the Terengganu dialect well, it makes daily life here much easier, especially when dealing with the elderly, who are more accustomed to the dialect.' Gurdeep, who is also fluent in Mandarin, said growing up in a Malay-majority neighbourhood and having close friends of various races, particularly Malays and Chinese, made it easy for him to pick up the dialect. At home, he said his family typically speaks in Punjabi, but they often include Terengganu Malay in certain situations – usually without even realising it. 'I'm actually more comfortable speaking in the Terengganu dialect. But with my Chinese friends, I sometimes speak Mandarin so I don't forget it,' said Gurdeep, who used to study at a Chinese school. Gurdeep encourages everyone to foster relationships with people of all ethnicities and learn different local dialects. (Gurdeep Singh Gill pic) Still, he harbours some wistfulness. His great-grandfather, Chigara Singh, migrated from Punjab, India to Terengganu in 1954. Sadly, all other relatives have moved abroad. 'Why is it sad? Because in Kelantan, there used to be Sikh families, but now I hear there are none left, even though a gurdwara still exists there. 'In Terengganu, there's no gurdwara. We usually go to Kuantan in Pahang, where there is a place of worship and a larger Sikh community. 'So, I'm not sure what the future holds for Sikhs in this state since, as far as I know, there are only two Sikh families here,' he said. Gurdeep encourages his non-Malay friends to learn local dialects, and for Malays to learn the languages of other ethnic groups, as a symbol of true unity. 'Make friends with everyone, regardless of race. It's comfortable staying in your own circle, but that doesn't help you grow. My message is that we all need to come together to ensure our local dialects don't disappear,' he concluded. Follow Gurdeep on TikTok.
CTV News
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Calgary Sikh community celebrates with annual Nagar Kirtan parade through northeast
Tens of thousands of Calgarians are attending Nagar Kirtan, one of the largest parades in the city Saturday. The event started at Dashmesh Cultural Centre at 10 a.m. and goes to Prairie Winds Park. 'Nagar Kirtan is basically a celebration of the Khalsa (or Sikh nation),' said Talvir Singh, team lead for the parade. 'This is a time when we can get together as a community and do Kirtan – just do favours for each other.' 'Everyone is more than welcome and just come together and share with love and compassion for everyone,' Singh added. Singh said the parade in Surrey B.C. broke the world record, so he was expecting a huge turnout for Saturday's event -- because it's for everyone. Talvir Singh Talvir Singh says everyone is welcome at the Nagar Kirtan parade Saturday in the northeast. (CTV News Calgary) '(It's) for the community,' he said. 'Anyone that wants to enjoy the Kirtan, enjoy the company of everyone – come out, maybe even ask what the celebration is for, get a better understanding (of Sikh culture and tradition), and just overall, there's a lot of ways to connect with the community. 'Just get to know more people.' Singh said it's a good time to have a parade, because the world needs one. 'I feel like especially now, after so much has happened after COVID and all of that, it really helps bring the communities together,' he said. 'Especially (to raise) the awareness in Calgary, where's such a diverse community. 'It really allows for everyone to come to celebrate each other's religions, the diversity that we have, as Canadians – that's the one thing we're known for: embracing all differences." With files from CTV's Tyler Barrow
