Watford-based theatre company, Rifco, explore and expose an often unseen and taboo side of Asian culture in their new touring show, Miss Meena & The Masala Queens, stopping in The Quarry Theatre where LEO OWEN caught the show

REUNITING the winning formula of writer Harvey Virdi and Rifco Director Pravesh Kumar, Miss Meena & The Masala Queens, gives a sneak peek into the dysfunctional lives of a group of gay Asian men. After six months of research, Virdi and Kumar hope to challenge audiences by staging a relatively undiscussed subject in British Asian communities, implying it is still common for many to hide behind unhappy arranged marriages, drown in their own often skewered sense of family duty and continue to negatively judge LGBTQ relationships.

Central to Virdi’s story is Abdul, aka Miss Meena (Raj Ghatak), a drag club owner who attracts strays, is still grieving the loss of her partner Jack and views her club as more of a “haven safe space” than a business, resulting in her being eight months behind in the rent. Her newest stray is Shaan (Nicholas Prasad), a young man who is scared to “come out” and is attracted to the glamour of Meena’s from a nearby bus stop.

Add to this pairing, comedy duo, Preethi (Harvey Dhadda) and Pinky (Vedi Roy) who are keen to audition for a new amateur act; an estranged brother with tragic news and Meena’s disloyal friend, Munni (Jamie Zubairi), who plays Judas, blackmailing her councillor lover to give her the building’s new lease and shut down Miss Meena’s so she can open her own kitsch club.

Designer Libby Watson’s club set is stripped back to show Meena’s heyday is over and basic props, such as a Departures board are used to symbolise location changes. Virdi’s script has elements of pantomime with some clichéd lines and unconvincing supposedly emotional exchanges between Meena and her brother. That said, there are some genuinely funny additions, including a gay murder mystery group called the “Sherlock Homos”; plenty of sexual innuendos; costume changes from construction gear to spangling saris; an amusing fruit bowl headdress dance routine and walking in heels lesson. Shaan’s first transformation is fabulous: wearing a blonde wig and gold sequin dress, Shaantasia lip-syncs to Katie Perry’s “Firework” as a wind machine blows his locks.

Despite history repeating itself in Shaan’s story, there’s a lot of hypercritical behaviour and performances feel more amateur than previous productions; some of the cast are shouting lines or play-acting and the timing of character entrances are repeatedly off. The comedy pairing of Dhadda and Roy are the strongest link by far.

Criticisms aside, some impressively rapid costume changes in the final sequence and the glitter shower finale of Gloria Gaynor’s “I am What I am” create an electric feel good vibe. Flawed but a show with honesty and heart.