'Sweetmeats' review — this bittersweet production explores later-life romance and health challenges in the South Asian community

Read our review of Karim Khan's new play Sweetmeats, now in performances at the Bush Theatre to 21 March.

Summary

• Karim Khan's play Sweetmeats premieres at the Bush Theatre
• The story sees Hema and Liaquat meet at a diabetes support course
• Shobu Kapoor and Rehan Sheikh have wonderful chemistry as the pair emotionally connect
• Natasha Kathi-Chandra's sensitive production conveys important messages alongside a tender love story

Karim Khan’s *Sweetmeats* is a simple love story which explores complex emotions. Hema and Liaquat are brought together at a diabetes support course: Hema is taking it very seriously, but latecomer Liaquat has a much more relaxed view.

As the pair attend the sessions, an awkward friendship blossoms. Liaquat is daring, impulsive and fun – he convinces Hema to shoplift a mango and taste the sweet treats that she has been denying herself for years. In turn, Hema shows Liaquat how to take care of his health and teaches him how to cook. Just as romance looks like a possibility, a health crisis threatens to part them.

Natasha Kathi-Chandra’s production is bittersweet; after the course, we see the pair return to their empty houses. Liaquat listens to tapes of his late wife’s voice and Hema sits in silence and sews. Each mentions their children, but their loneliness is palpable. As the relationship develops, the pair share the mutual grief they feel at losing their respective partners.

Khan’s script has the pair slipping between Hindi and English with natural ease, giving voice to the burgeoning, teasing friendship and the turmoil they both confront when the chance to move onto something new is presented.

As Hema, Shobu Kapoor is quick to view Liaquat as an annoyance at first, begrudgingly helping him when his sugar levels crash. Hema’s husband died young and Kapoor reveals regret and sadness that he left her a widow for so long. Liaquat brings out a mischievous side that is joyful to see.

Kapoor has spiky chemistry with Rehan Sheikh, who is genial and instantly likable as Liaquat, shuffling around in flip-flops and a greasy coat. He is unapologetic and provokes Hema, later revealing huge vulnerability and guilt as he realises the depth of love he felt for his late wife and the complexities of developing feelings for Hema.

Aldo Vázquez’s set is exceptionally well-designed, fitting in two well-used living rooms on a top level, moving down to Liaquat’s functional kitchen, his overgrown garden, the street and rubbish-strewn bus stop, as well as the strip-lit room where the course takes place.

Underlying the drama, there is an important message: for the South-Asian community, diabetes is a prominent issue. Studies show this group is four to six times more likely to develop the disease than white people. In England, more than 420,000 people of South-Asian descent have diabetes, with over 230,000 at high risk.

Kathi-Chandra directs sensitively, with a charming focus on food as comfort and love. Liaquat soothes himself with sugar, while Hema wants to nourish him, insisting that they cook roti rather than a fattier paratha, and both are transported by tastes from the past. A running time of two and a half hours could be trimmed however without losing the essence of the production; some scenes are overly ponderous.

It is refreshing to see such a tender examination of emotions in later life on stage, challenging expectations of a society that expects older people to disappear when they lose their partners. Without falling into syrup, Sweetmeats is tender, thoughtful and very touching.

Sweetmeats is at the Bush Theatre to 21 March. Book Sweetmeats tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Sweetmeats (Photos by Craig Fuller)