From Britain to Bangalore – Deborah Moggach’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel returns to the stage at the Theatre Royal to showcase comedy, romance and unity in this beloved play.
A group of youthful pensioners wanted a bit more for the remainder of their lives than sitting in a retirement home by the sea – wasting away. They decided to embark on an adventure to Bangalore to a “luxurious” retirement home which turns out to be a run down shack run by a likeable but incompatent young man, however, this is where their lives truly begin.
The writing by Deborah Moggach is beautiful, it has a great story filled with turmoil, love and some brilliant comedic moments that the audience laps up. The dialogue and story does feel quite naturalistic whilst also holding some of that theatricality and movie-esque feeling which was a nice balance. The character stories such as Evelyn – played by Hayley Mills – and Dorothy & Jimmy’s story – played by Richenda Carey and Harmage Singh Kalirai – kept the audience (especially the ones with no previous knowledge of the plot) intrigued and hooked on what was going to happen next and that is how you grasp your audience.
Lucy Bailey’s directing was smooth and a joy to watch. The blocking was utilised very well, covering almost every inch of the stage and playing to every audience member. The directing looked like it played itself out on stage, with everything flowing nicely and even scene changes being simple but effective when transitioning between scenes and sets. The play as a whole felt very natural and real which entices the audience even more as it becomes relatable and every character reminds you of someone you may know and the naturalistic style had that and made it a joy to watch.
Colin Richmond’s set of the Marigold Hotel was eye-catching. As soon as that curtain came up and the lights came on you saw audience members nod their head in appreciation and awe for this beautifully constructed set. The hotel was brought to life in front of the viewers and they used the set so well and made it feel like a proper building with every element of the set having a purpose – even down to the finer details of a bug light zapper and a fan in the office that is just indefinitely on for the whole show. The costumes were great also. You really got that feeling of British people being abroad, being in 40 degree heat but still wearing jeans and complaining it’s still too hot. And when it came to the traditional Indian outfits – whether it was a Sari or Achkan – these really brought some authenticity and homely feeling to the piece.
Oliver Fenwick used the lighting perfectly during the show. The subtle dimmed lighting resembling the night and the harsher auburn lighting that resembled candles etc. all did their job and portrayed each reasoning nicely. At one point a flood light came on over the crowd in the stalls – leading to a lot of people thinking something was maybe going to happen in the audience or that there was a reason behind it, which turned out not to be the case. Nothing ever came of that light coming on which was confusing but to be honest it gave a random element of suspense to what could have been happening so even though it may have been a mistake it was entertaining at least.
Hayley Mills was fantastic as Evelyn. Her characterisation was one of the highlights of the show. Mills had everything from comedy, to a love story, to being the pioneer of the call centre and the bridge between the hotel and their new future in her character’s path and she absolutely nailed each point. Her comedic timing was on point and her loveable persona made you root for her in every aspect. Her chemistry on stage with her fellow performers was fantastic and you could really see the ease in everyone’s performance.
Paul Nicholas portrayal of Douglas was great all round. From the relationship with his wife Jean to the revelation of returning to marry Evelyn, Nicolas had a fantastic grasp on what he wanted Douglas to be and he made sure he delivered. The only downfall would be that it did seem like Nicholas’ energy may have dropped at times, mainly due to his projection and volume dropping in scenes. Making it hard to hear him at times – otherwise a great overall performance.
Rula Lenska was a fan favourite as Madge. Her comedic timing and delivery had the audience in stitches and her more risque comments gave the character such an edge, having the audience pierced to what she was going to say next as they prepared themselves for laughter. Then the pay off with Madge and Mr Gupta gave the audience a softer moment of Lenska, showing her rounded talent.
Tiran Aakel was as Mr Gupta gave you the hard headed boss who is full of ambition and ideas but is set in his ways – until the very end. Aakel had a good approach to the sternness of the character and showcased the emotional arc of Mr Gupta very well with the turning point of the meeting with Madge. This turned the audience back on his side and finished the transition from bad guy trying to buy the hotel and knock it down, to the hero who saved and transformed the Marigold into what its potential deserved. Let’s not forget the excellent comedy portrayed as Fernandes, the chef – especially when setting the kitchen on fire with Sonny.
Richenda Carey had a great performance as Dorothy. Her arc from almost senile and spaced out to reuniting with her long lost childhood friend and the reveal of the fact she grew up at the hotel was a wonderful twist and had the audience fully invested in the friendship between Dorothy and Jimmy. Carey had a very solid, well rounded performance, highlighting her acting range from start to finish and had one of the best energies on stage throughout the entire performance.
Andy de la Tour was hilarious as Norman. His ability to turn this crude, old fashioned man into one of the heroes of the hotel was a fantastic example of using your character to the best of its ability. De la Tour was excellent with his comedic delivery and he showed great versatility when Norman switched back and forth from a stone wall to sharing the truth behind his wife and his emotions with Mrs Kapoor.
Shila Iqbal had such a wholesome and likeable performance as Sahani. Her relationship with Evelyn had the audience invested in them and again had such a real, wholesomeness to it. Iqbal highlighted her acting ability and energy, jumping from emotions in different scenes and showing the strength her character had which was great to watch. Then she had the fairytale ending with Sonny, sending the audience home happy.
Kerena Jagpal and Anant Varman played their roles of Kamila and Mohan very well and added a lot to the dynamic of the turning point of the story. Both actors held their own in the role and whilst having a smaller role, they both still stood out in scenes and never once faded away and were always reacting and involved any time they were on stage. The showcased a real feeling of comradery in the trio of Sahani, Kamila and Mohan and this gave them all a great chemistry and to the audience it showcased the friendship and had the audience invested. Varman’s performance as Tikal was also very good. The sweeper who becomes the head chef was a great story arc and for a non-prominent character, Varman and his relationship with Muriel made the audience get behind Tikal and he came out to a great reception as head chef and a well deserved one.
Rekha John-Cheriyan as Mrs Kapoor was lovely. Her ability to equally portray both the intimidating, protective motherly side of Kapoor and then the caring, soft, funny side was a great example of her acting skills and understanding of the story and of the character.
Harmage Singh Kalirai had the audience in love with Jimmy from start to finish. Kalrai played a few other smaller roles – such as Sadhu and the waiter – however Jimmy was by far his stand out role and a stand out performance for the entire show. His quiet demeanour gave a sense of fragility to Jimmy at the beginning, then gradually you saw the character come out of his shell, sneaking around to listen to the cricket with Norman, having some banter with the other residents and then reconnecting with his childhood friend Dorothy. Kalirai portrayed Jimmy wonderfully and had the audience in love with his story.
Eileen Battye as Jean was everything it needed to be. Her stuck up “I’m better than you” approach to the role was fantastic and really made the audience laugh but also not take too lightly to Jean. Battye was very funny in the role and knew exactly what to do and how to say her dialogue in order to get the reaction needed from the audience and she executed it perfectly. Her excellent performance also gave such a boost to the eventual rejection by Douglas and relationship between Douglas and Evelyn.
Nishad More had a great showing as Sonny. His energy was at the highest level the entire show and he nailed the franticness and cluelessness of the character and the hotel situation as a whole. More used his acting skills really well and kept a more theatrical style to his acting which was a lot of fun. More had a great understanding of his character and the arc needing to be met and this was done with great execution.
Marlene Sidaway as Muriel had the audience in stitches. Sidaway had the audience waiting in preparation any time she walked on stage and she never failed to deliver. Her comedy landed every chance she got, her energy for the character was great and consistent and she really made the most of the storyline with Tikal and this became one of the most loved parts of the play and that goes to show More’s ability to capture the story and the viewers.
One thing that became apparent towards the end of the play was that the energy did seem to dip significantly. Whether it be lack of energy or even relief of the long show coming closer to the end, a number of the cast did seem to drop energy and volume and this hindered some moments of the story but mainly the last 10 minutes where you had the party, the reopening and lovely dancing. There was also an issue with the mics at some points in Act 2. Unsure of where the mics may have been situated, but at times, when an actor would walk into a centre part of the stage you could prominently hear them very loud through the speakers and microphone. It wasn’t a major issue as it happened a handful of times, however, it does catch you off guard and drowns out the other cast members speaking slightly.
In conclusion, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a feel-good show that will have you rooting for everyone and leaving in stitches. Despite a few technical issues and energy drops, if you love the story already, you will love seeing it unfold in front of your own eyes.
Theatre Scotland 
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