9:24am Saturday 3rd May 2008
By Kat Dibbits
Meet The Mukherjees: Bolton Octagon until May 24.
RACE relations aren't usually the subject of uproarious laughter, but Tanika Gupta's Meet The Mukherjees, which had its world premiere at The Octagon last night, proved that comedies can sometimes make a serious point.
Ostensibly the play centres around young lovers Anita and Aaron, whose love blossoms despite the racial divide.
But the show was stolen by Wyllie Longmore in the role of Neville, Aaron's father.
Longmore's comic timing, inch-perfect facial expressions and natural stage presence had the audiences in stitches, and even provoked spontaneous applause mid-scene.
Emotional depth in the play came from Anita's mother, Chitra, who learns learns to understand her daughter and cope with the loss of her husband.
Pooja Ghai played the role so convincingly that there were certainly a few tears wiped away amid the laughter.
Rokhsaneh Ghawam-Shahidi was feisty as Anita, and Mark Springer brought a smile to the female members of the audience's faces as Aaron, who at one point is discovered naked in a wardrobe, although at some moments his character is as cheesy as his chat-up lines.
Meet The Mukherjees is excellent comedy, but never forgets its serious centre.
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