THE HANGOVER REPORT – The perfectly pleasant stage musical adaptation of MONSOON WEDDING coasts on the strength of its terrific score

Salena Qureshi (center) and the company of the stage musical adaptation of “Monsoon Wedding” at St. Ann’s Warehouse (photo by Matthew Murphy).

Last night, the anticipated stage adaptation of Monsoon Wedding opened at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. Based on the 2001 movie of the same name and conceived and staged by Mira Nair (who also directed the film), the new rom-com musical chronicles the drama leading up to a lavish arranged marriage between an Indian American banker and a Delhi-based woman.

In short, I had a perfectly pleasant time at Monsoon Wedding, mainly on the strength of its terrific score (music is credited to Vishal Bhardwaj, lyrics to Masi Asare and Susan Birkenhead), which was beautifully sung and authentically orchestrated (kudos also to David Schnirman’s clarion sound design). Both accessible and fragrantly exotic, the musical’s songs — in turn rousing and moving — give the otherwise decidedly pedestrian material texture and emotional thrust. Although the book can use more shaping and specificity — e.g., some narrative threads need to be clarified, some characters veer close to caricatures — I ultimately found these qualms neither here nor there. Even in its current state, Monsoon Wedding in sum shines brightly as a joyous celebration of love, family, and belonging. Additionally, it was wonderful to see an all Indian American cast so wholeheartedly represented, as well as the strong South Asian contingent that the property drew to the theater.

Throughout, strong influences from musicals like Fiddler on the Roof and In the Heights — as well as a good dose of the film Crazy Rich Asians (which is also allegedly slated for a stage adaptation) — were in clear evidence. Nair no doubt drew inspiration from these beloved musicals, and her big-hearted, warmly-acted musical iteration of Monsoon Wedding is well on its way to becoming a “role model” musical in its own right.

RECOMMENDED

MONSOON WEDDING
Off-Broadway, Musical
St. Ann’s Warehouse
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Through June 25

Categories: Off-Broadway, Theater

Leave a Reply