The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel at The Little Theatre Leicester Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Leanne W
The Little Theatre is a small volunteer run theatre in the centre of Leicester. Opposite is a carpark and it is surrounded by bars and eateries. The production is the opener to a brand new and fully packed season at the theatre. A season which it has to be noted appears to be far more contemporary than previous seasons. That is a fabulous array of plays and musicals on offer throughout the year which if you’re unable to make this one definitely try to attend another performance; rarely am I disappointed by what these amateur performers and crew are able to offer.
Upon entering the auditorium, the first thing to notice is the extravagant and fantastic set built by master carpenter Dave Towers. We see the outside of the Marigold hotel which is starting to crumble and fall apart. The play opens to Sonny Kapoor (Bhav Bhella, who is making his stage debut on this run) and his mother, Mrs Kapoor (Ketna Butrón) in front of the funeral pyre of his father as they are discussing what will become of them now that he’s gone; with so much to do on the hotel, and no money to make the necessary improvements. Sonny informs his mum that he has an idea, and the drama moves to the arrival of the hotel’s guests; an aged group of people moving to India to live the rest of their days, leaving their lives in England to enjoy the hospitality of the Marigold Hotel.
This play has a very large cast of which there were too many to mention, however it must be noted that the performance of Mrs Kapoor by Ketna Butrón was fantastic she portrayed the epitome of the Indian mother and widow. Her pace and timing were spot on and she was a joy to watch; I hope we get to see her on the stage again.
This is a very wordy play which requires very careful and concise delivery off the lines in order to allow the audience to follow the story as it develops. The programme informs us that several members of the cast are making their stage debut at the Little Theatre; at times it was obvious as several of the characters remained undeveloped and many key opportunities for us to see the progression of the characters and their relationships as their stories unfold as well as many missed opportunities of comedic moments.
There were several moments which director, Lynn Moore, really could have worked alongside the actors to assist with this, having cast so many novice performers to the roles it really did need a strong person to do this. Whilst the direction was satisfactory the play really did need someone with a few more dynamic ideas and better support to the performers. This said, however, there were many delightful moments in the play including the visible crumbling of the hotel, some laugh out loud moments, as well as some very clever set design.
One of the main things I mostly enjoyed about the play was to see such a diverse audience and a diverse cast on the stage, finally a reflection of the diversity of the city can be seen in this venue. This is something that I hope will now pave the way for performers a wider range of backgrounds to take the opportunity to be on stage and enjoy what theatre can bring.
Rating: 3.5/5
Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is on until Saturday 13th September with tickets priced between £17 and £19.50 with a variety of accessible options available.
For more information or to book tickets, visit thelittletheatre.co.uk