Mira Nair's stage musical adaptation of the 2001 film Monsoon Wedding has announced dates for its upcoming run at St. Ann's Warehouse. The Off-Broadway production will begin performances May 6 and open May 22 ahead of a run through June 4.
The musical is set in the lead-up to a wedding in Delhi where a couple's arranged marriage faces modern tensions. As it follows the two families and the wedding's staff through the festivities, family secrets bubble up and chaos ensues as romance becomes redefined. The international cast will be announced at a later date.
Serving on the creative team to immerse the audience in authentic versions of Delhi are set designer Jason Ardizzone-West, lighting designer Bradley King, projection designer David Bengali, costume designer Arjun Bhasin, sound designer David Schnirman, choreographer Shampa Gopikrishna, and movement director Carrie-Anne Ingrouille. Orchestrations are by Jamshied Sharifi and the music is produced by Sunny Jain. Emily Whitaker serves as music director, conductor, and keyboard player.
Monsoon Wedding features a book by Arpita Mukherjee and Sabrina Dhawan, with lyrics by Masi Asare and Susan Birkenhead and music by Vishal Bhardwaj. It is based on the film which was conceived and directed by Nair; Dhawan wrote the screenplay.
Nair says, “People see themselves in the story of this family that does not want to split, that does not want to break despite the vicissitudes of life. In Monsoon Wedding, the story of this family is told in a combination of great truth and great fun. Fun is critical, but cannot mask darker things. We strive for a beautiful balance between silence and music, darkness and real joy. That is what I hope to create onstage—a feeling of masti, of a kind of intoxication with life.”
The world premiere of Monsoon Wedding, the Musical was produced in May 2017 by Berkeley Repertory Theatre, and subsequently played in Delhi, India. The work was also staged at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Susan Feldman, Founding Artistic Director of St. Ann’s Warehouse, said in a statement, “With the return of The Jungle, our theatre reconstructed the now-demolished refugee camp where people crossed borders and defied danger in search of safety and home. Now, for Mira Nair’s glorious celebration, it becomes a wedding. We extend a festive welcome into the intricate and expansive web of characters Mira Nair has created.” The Jungle currently plays at St. Ann's through March 19.
Monsoon Wedding, the Musical is produced by St. Ann’s Warehouse in conjunction with Mira Nair, Ruth and Stephen Hendel, and Rahul V. Chittella. Hypokrit Live Arts is associate producer.
Visit StAnnsWarehouse.org.
