Indigo Giant, The Door, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Broad Street, Birmingham B1 2EP. 14, 15, 16 March 2024.

3✩✩✩ Review: Joanna Jarvis.

“A story of the Raj that still resonates today.”

The Komola collective bring to our attention a forgotten moment from our collective past. Indigo Giant takes us back to the time of the British Raj in Bengal and the world’s insatiable craving for a perfect blue dye. But this is not just a story from the past, the required blue for our denim jeans brings the same desire for profit and possibility for exploitation.

‘The Presence’, our narrator, questions the Bengali villagers of today. They have no memory of what happened in their fertile fields. They do not respond to the haunting presence of the decaying indigo factories. So, he takes us back to the nineteenth century. We are introduced to Sadhu played by Diljohn Singh and his new bride Kshetromani played by Amy Tara. It is their love story, that runs through the piece.

The heat and dust of Bengal are evoked by the setting, with its calico, hemp and earthy brown floor. The music and dancing brings us its powerful rhythms and sounds, highlighting the village at the beginning and greeting the new overseer. However, the flow of the narrative felt disjointed, and it was difficult, at times, to understand the context of the characters. Unfortunately, as the play explores many different issues, we are given little chance to empathise with these characters. It would help us if the director Gavin Joseph slowed down some of the key moments to allow us to fully understand their importance.

Nevertheless, there were moments of real emotional power. Sadhu and Kshetromani as newlyweds. Their meeting in his prison cell and her ultimate rejection of the predatory overseer. As we reached the climax of the story more music and dance could give this greater emphasis. A moment of hope at the end offers an uplifting contrast to an otherwise dark reminder of the past. Leaving us with a question: do we ever learn from history?

Cast

Diljohn Singh – Sadhu

Amy Tara – Kshetromani/Rupa

Chirague Amarchande – Gopi/Supervisor

Adi Roy – The Presence

Subika Anwar-Kahn – Rashida/Mina/Nabina

Thomas King – Rose/Jeremy

Birmingham chorus:

Haleema Nasir, Prith Rathore, Tashina Khan

Creatives

Written by: Ben Musgrave

Directed by: Gavin Joseph

Production, Dramaturgy & Lyrics by: Leesa Gazi

Music by: Sohini Alam & Oliver Weeks

Design by: Caitlin Abbott

Lighting by: Nasirul Haque Khokon & Joe Price