'Marriage Material' review — a poignant and hugely entertaining exploration of family duty versus freedom

Read our review of new play Marriage Material, adapted from Sathnam Sanghera's novel, now in performances at Lyric Hammersmith to 21 June.

Based on the debut novel by journalist Sathnam Sanghera, Marriage Material explores the complex relationships within one Asian family when the obligations of cultural traditions clash with the modern opportunities of life in Britain.

Directed by Iqbal Khan, this co-production between Lyric Hammersmith and Birmingham Rep is inspired by Arnold Bennett's classic novel The Old Wives' Tale. Now set in Wolverhampton, it centres on the Sikh Punjabi Bains family. Sisters Kamaljit and Surinder work in their father's corner shop, living with one foot in their community and the other in 1960s Britain. The sisters’ lives go off in opposite directions, which has far-reaching consequences for future generations.

This is a tender and touching tale, and Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s script has moments of sadness, but is also sharply funny. Many characters feel immediately familiar, without becoming caricatures; wealth means success, customs and traditions compete with a desire for progress, and marriage remains a familial duty.

Written in 2013, Sanghera’s book moves between a society influenced by Enoch Powell’s 1968 Rivers of Blood speech and the 2010s. Bhatti instead jumps from the 1960s to the present day where Brexit still reverberates and populism is on the rise, but Britain has also had its first Asian Prime Minister. It seems an odd choice not to mention this when Powell is a repeated reference in the first half of the production.

There are no weak links in a strong cast, several of them multi-roleing. Avita Jay is wonderfully acerbic as Mrs Bains, showing love through both insults and roti. She herself is torn as she sees the opportunities that a life in England can give her daughters, but is also constrained by her roots.

Kiran Landa’s Kamaljit embraces the expectations of her cultural identity and then deftly echoes her mother’s caustic behaviour as her older self. Anoushka Deshmukh is initially wide-eyed innocence as the highly intelligent Surinder, who pushes to break boundaries.

Jaz Singh Deol is convincing as the traditional Mr Bains, focused on ‘izzat’ (honour) and marriage for his daughters. He's also very likeable as Kamaljit’s conflicted son Arjan. Irfan Shamji is a huge presence as ‘uncle’ Dhanda, echoing the view that women belong in the kitchen. Omar Malik shows great adaptability as the nervy, kind Tanvir and later wide-boy Ranjit.

Compressing a complex multi-generational story into a stage production is a challenge. The first half feels more developed, if a little too long. However, there are too many strands to get to the heart of every character in the second half. We have to assume why Arjan left his family and their shop. His return and internal struggle to reconcile his metropolitan life, complete with a one-dimensional white fiancée, is a complete play alone.

Good Teeth’s set is endlessly flexible, using movable elements to take us from the street to the family home and the shop, complete with shelves stacked with egg boxes and period-appropriate cereal packets. Holly Khan’s thoughtful sound design mixes traditional Indian music with bouncy 60s pop tracks.

Despite requiring some tightening, Marriage Material is a poignant and hugely entertaining exploration of duty versus freedom.

Marriage Material is at Lyric Hammersmith to 21 June. Book Marriage Material tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk.

Photo credit: Marriage Material (Photos by Helen Murray)