A beautiful celebration of South Asian womanhood in its contradictions, beauty, complexity and powerful ownership.
Kaya Uppal delivers a vibrant and uncompromising piece that intertwines sharp comedy and reflection with Brown Girl Noise at Riverside Studios. The show offers a rich and diverse portrayal of British South Asian women in a contemporary context. The play is woven with energy, driven by a cast of distinct characters and talented actors that offer unique insights to the stage.
Set in a waiting room where four South Asian women are hoping to audition for the role of Priti Patel, the play subverts the audience’s expectation from the start. The environment quickly unravels into a tense comedic disruption with each character interrupting and arguing with one another. A deliberate nod towards the intense internal frustration that South Asian women face while fighting for representation and opportunities in a predominantly white industry.
What makes the piece resonant is its refusal to flatten and undermine the characters in a single narrative. As a device, the piece utilizes an obscured narrative format by introducing each segment of the plot with the women introducing chapters as a way to lay ownership on their underrepresented stories and voices. These chapters range from satirical to tender, one outlines a comedic reimagining of Snow White, where they allude to the obsession with skin whitening and how beauty comes from within. Another is a raw monologue beautifully carried out by the artistic Amrita Mangat’s character, Ring, that touches on the unspoken constraints and tensions placed on South Asian women when it comes to sex, marriage and emotional openness. Mangat carries the topic with grace and an emotional toughness that inspires and resonates with the audience.
The structure of the piece holds echoes of the play For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Hue Gets Too Heavy, through its ensemble and character-driven approach. The cast moves together with integrity and unity.
The audience fell in love with Ayesha Sharma’s portrayal of Hum, embodying the character with finesse, comedy and emotional intensity. Sharma’s character is beautifully written by Uppal, showcasing a woman who is spiritual, obsessed with wellness trends that are tied to South Asian culture yet ironically struggles to pronounce the words that anchor her heritage. Her command of the stage is continuous with strong character work.
The casting is phenomenal, with Misha Domaida delivering a beautifully shy performance as Whisper. Her expert accent work and full-bodied commitment to the character’s evolution showcase both nuance and range. As a recurring joke of the timid nature of Whisper, the character gets spoken over every time she tries to explain where she is from. At a climax of one segment of the play, Domaida explodes on stage yelling “I am from Ilford”, which is met with a roaring laugh by the audience. The play weaves multiple delicate jokes and humor throughout the play, allowing the audience to feel connected to the audience and left in suspense.
The production’s strength lies in its ability to satirise without dismissing. It lays the foundation for a critique of the commodification of South Asian culture and the industry’s narrow definitions of representation. From mocking iconic token characters such as Ravi from Jessie to unpacking internalised colorism, the play lands punches with clarity and wit.
That said, there are moments where the script leans too heavily into exposition thus sacrificing emotional complexity for clarity. Some transitions between scenes feel slightly forced or underdeveloped, and the device of chapters can use some foundational connections and additional thematic ties.
Still, these are minor critiques in a strongly compelling and necessary work. Kaya Uppal establishes herself as a multi-hyphenate creative, succeeding in acting and writing, supported by a creative team that has crafted a piece that feels accurate and timely. A beautiful celebration of South Asian womanhood in its contradictions, beauty, complexity and powerful ownership.