Bhangra Nation at Birmingham Rep - Review

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Sat 17 Feb 2024 - Sat 16 Mar 2024

In this new musical, premiered in the UK at Birmingham Rep, we enter the world of American collegiate bhangra competitions. But don’t let that setting concern you, there is absolutely no need to be a bhangra expert to enjoy this show. In fact, the story is as much about the journeys of self-discovery made by the young people in the dance teams as about the South Asian traditions that bhangra represents.



At its heart lies a conflict between two of the team members – Preeti who believes the troupe need to go back to basics and present authentic dance moves and Mary who wants to modernize the routine, bringing in elements of other traditions.

Through exploring the dance the two women also explore their own identities, relationships with others and beliefs about what really matters.

The show is great fun with some wonderful dancing choreographed by Rujuta Vaidya with stunning bhangra routines but also elements of hip-hop, Bollywood, Latin and kathak. It all makes for a colourful and joyful spectacle.

Sam Willmott’s music is infectious (I had bhangra rhythms in my head after watching the show) and is performed by a live band.

Jena Pandya plays Mary, whose rival bhangra troupe is a ragtag group of misfits who nonetheless share a love and enthusiasm for the dance which overrides their initial lack of expertise. Within that group is Billy, played by Ivan Fernandez Gonzalez and quickly the two realise they may come from different cultures but they share so many experiences.



Preeti is a less sympathetic character – dogmatic in her belief in tradition she is soon attempting to enforce her views onto all of the dance troupe who rebel in the best way possible with a song in which they mimic her. But when she realizes she is losing their respect and is forced to explore her own bigotry by Mary, we see that Preeti too is simply a young woman trying to find her way.

Fernandez Gonzalez gives us a Billy who is caught up in his own issues of identity – and who is unsure how to approach his budding attraction for Mary. And Siobhan Athwal’s Sunita is the comic foil. Here is a woman determined to fight for her corner, even when she is not quite sure which corner she needs to be fighting for.

The show is an updated version of the musical Bhangin’ It which premiered at La Jolla Playhouse five years ago. Written by Rehana Lew Mirza and Mike Lew and directed by Stafford Arima, retaining the American setting feels like a curious decision when a UK storyline would have been much more immediate for British audiences and could have been possible in the overhaul.

But in many ways, the story is eclipsed by the dancing which can’t help but pull you in. It would be hard to come away from this uplifting musical without a smile on your face.

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