At its heart, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is about things not being what they seem and going through transformation – a bit like the play itself.
It begins as a bit of a meandering yarn about a bunch of retired Brits drawn to a retirement home in India and the expected – but gentle – clash of cultures between ex-pats and locals.
It ends as a glorious and uplifting morality tale about the need to live life to the full no matter what age you are, young or old.
And in between it is a rather poignant meditation on growing old, losing loved ones and facing up to mortality. With laughter.
Of course, if you are familiar with the much-loved film or Deborah Moggach’s best-selling book, then you will know the story.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a delightful surprise at His Majesty’s
But for those of us who came to this fresh – that’ll be me – it was a delightful surprise, an interweaving story that celebrates the best of both cultures and celebrates life.
The exposition is dealt with swiftly in the opening minutes. Sonny Kapoor and his mum are struggling with their dilapidated hotel when he hits on the idea of billing it as a plush and exotic retirement home for Brits.
Cue a short scene of the magnificent seven elders standing isolated from each other in an airport queue heading for Bangalore before arriving at the Marigold to discover things aren’t as lush as they seem – but they’re all too polite to say anything.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel offers stories of transformation and discovery – and love – at HMT. The beauty of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is the way it presents characters as familiar tropes – the old letch, the man-hungry divorcee, the dottled old wifie, the domineering Indian mum and her downtrodden son – before stripping away the layers to show the real people underneath.
Each character has their own story of change and revelation, as the characters – both local and new arrivals – grow to know each other and themselves on a journey to becoming a loving, surrogate family.
It’s as if each one is an individual musical motif, that when played together turns into a rather magnificent symphony of emotion and pathos. All this, with laughter along the way courtesy of the sharp observational humour from Moggach, who also wrote this state version.
Ensemble cast at the top of their game in Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
So it’s just as well that the ensemble cast of both well-kent and up-and-coming faces are at the top of their game.
Belinda Lang is a delight as the voracious and blunt Madge, while Paul Nicholas offers subtle charm to Douglas, whose perfect marriage isn’t.
Nishad More as Sonny is a comic delight and both he and Rekha Jonh-Cheriyan as Mrs Kapoor have a great mother-and-son chemistry.
But the show belongs to Tessa Peake-Jones as recently widowed, timid and shy Evelyn. She is utterly believable as the wallflower who wouldn’t say boo to a goose who transforms into a dispenser of strength and wisdom and ultimately helps lead the fight to save the Marigold Hotel they have all come to love as their home.
Underpinning all of this, though, is a rather deep dive into what it means to become old while you are still young in your head. Its message that you can find new adventures, love – and even a new you – at any age is a welcome one.
Joyous finale brought proceedings to heart-warming close at HMT
It’s summed up nicely by the lovable East End old girl Muriel – a star turn from Marlene Sidaway – uttering the rallying cry: “Everyone thinks we are waiting to die, well I’m just starting to live.”
It’s a thought almost as joyous as the Bollywood dancing wedding finale that brought proceedings to a heart-warming close.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is at His Majesty’s Theatre until Saturday April 8. For tickets and information go to aberdeenperformingarts.com
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