Culture Writer Devina Sharma reviews Marriage Material, commending its sensitive and entertaining presentation of family life for a Punjabi family in the West Midlands
Content warning: brief mention of racial discrimination
“Intergenerational gold”. This is how Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti, director of the stage adaptation of Marriage Material, describes Sathnam Sanghera’s novel of the same name. And it’s safe to say that Bhatti has translated this allure onto the stage, taking us on a witty and heartfelt journey with the Bains family.
Just as the stage’s centrepiece – the family’s Wolverhampton corner shop – opens upwards and outwards, Bhatti opens up the Bains family home, inviting us in. We journey through the family’s three generations: Mr and Mrs Bains’ traditional Punjabi values; their two daughters, dutiful Kamaljit and fiery boundary-pusher Surinder; and Kamaljit’s son Arjan, who pieces together his own identity while navigating his family’s past. We see over six decades of family trials and tribulations condensed into 155 minutes – no mean feat! It was seamlessly and vivaciously brought to life, with scene transitions marked with desi musical interludes and song.
seamlessly and vivaciously brought to life
The whole cast commanded the stage with their compelling embodiment of their British-Indian characters. Whether it was their Punjabi mannerisms or use of Punjabi vernacular and non-standard English, the cast kept the audience laughing. I commend the authentic presentation of the immigrant parents Mr and Mrs Bains, and Uncle Dhanda. Although I did find the Wolverhampton accent of Surinder and Kamalit’s 16-year-old selves to be slightly over-dramatised, it was a stark reminder of the cultural gap between the two daughters and their parents. Two daughters who are grappling with shaping their lives according to their own dreams, while the values and expectations of their parents are weighing down on them. That’s one thing I loved about this performance: the sisters’ narratives were not pitted against each other, but paralleled alongside one another, showcasing their very differing outlooks on their livelihoods and identities, while validating them both.
These many grin-splitting moments and domestic happenings were masterfully balanced alongside not only intense family events, but also wider socio-political tensions – issues that have deeply impacted Sikh communities in the West Midlands. From the acknowledgement of racial slurs and violence, to the protest of discrimination against Sikh men wearing turbans, these issues were tackled with sensitivity and raw honesty, striking a chord within the audience – a sense of being seen. These were Indian idioms and events, written to be felt and understood by an Indian audience. It was a theatrical phenomenon I have rarely encountered before. And the Rep really welcomed everyone into this world, from the thoughtful Punjabi-to-English translations given in the playbook, to the flower garlands that streamed along the stair banisters in the foyer.
issues were tackled with sensitivity and raw honesty
The dramatisation of Marriage Material is part of a much-needed increase of South Asian representation on the stage. And in a city as multicultural as Birmingham, there couldn’t be a better place for this to be received. The cast got a roaring standing ovation and I couldn’t help but feel that applause was each person screaming ‘Thank you! For portraying our lives so beautifully! For handing us the mirror and showing our reflection to the world!’
‘Marriage Material’ is running in The Rep Theatre, Birmingham, till July 5th 2025.
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