Review by Kate Gaul
National Theatre of Parramatta in collaboration with La Boite Theatre presents the Australian premiere of Calcutta-born, American playright Dipika Guha’s “Yoga Play”. Dipika Guha is a writer who has inspired and cultivated a fan base from her playwriting and television shows like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”. “Yoga Play” is set inside the administrative headquarters of Yoga clothing emporium Jojoman. Joan the new CEO of the yoga apparel giant is hired to stabilise the athleisurewear company after her predecessor was brought down by an unsavoury fat shaming scandal. But trouble is brewing, sales are plummeting and her plan to save the business is getting riskier and riskier.
The play is described as a “razor-sharp comedy” – a phrase that surely strikes fear in our hearts as we discover that this is an evening of 2hours 20 minutes including interval. It’s easy to chuckle at the athleisurewear-meets-enlightenment mind-set, as when Joan talks up Jojomon’s “concept fabric,” Joyon, which is infused with a slow-release organic lavender fragrance and “inspired by best-selling author Marie Kondo’s ‘if it sparks joy’ motif.”
The producers invited America director Mina Morita to lead the company. This is a reasonable production which, while I didn’t find it thigh-slappingly funny, leans into engaging themes around the accumulation of wealth vs spirituality, personal identity, racism and cultural appropriation. Andrea Moor plays the burnt-out Joan navigating a world that she can’t understand. It’s an understated and confident performance. Nat Jobe plays sarcastic employee Raj. He has some of the best comic chops in the show and has plenty of material to get his teeth into as he must become the Spiritual Leader he most certainly is not. Jobe lands his story arc with a plomb as Raj juggles his personal aspirations and his cultural heritage. Jemwel Danao plays co-worker Fred. His is a touching story line as he grapples with his immigrant status and sexuality. Camila Ponte Alvarez brings a radiant energy to the stage as a cliched LA Yoga queen (and doubles as various offstage voices) and Thomas Larkin plays multiple roles and is striking as the cave dwelling Guru.
Slick set design by James Lew incorporates video design by Mark Bolton. More and more productions are inviting projection into stage design. “Yoga Play” calls for some kind of visual representation of the video communication that are central to the plot. It doesn’t land as vibrantly as it could. The production is handsomely lit by Kate Baldwin and Will Hughes completes the team as composer and sound designer. The play has lots of small scenes and the team keep the pace tight. I suspect there is a much shorter play trapped within this sprawling work.
Was I entirely won over by “Australian actors doing Indian accents?" This does point to what the play is interrogating but it was uncomfortable. What kind of comedy is this? I wasn’t cool about laughing at the expense of Indian culture. But for some “Yoga Play” may spark joy. Namaste!
Image Credit: Phil Erbacher