Berkeley Repertory Theater’s ‘The Lunchbox’ Combines Heart, Humor and Hope
- The musical is directed by Tony Award-winner Rachel Chavkin and features the music by the Lazours.
Ritesh Batra’s internationally acclaimed film, “The Lunchbox,” adapted into a musical with the same name is presented by the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Playing at the Roda Theater in Berkeley, the musical combines heart, humor and hope.
The story is set in the bustling city of Mumbai — India’s financial capital where the lunchbox delivery meant for one man lands in the hands of another. The Lunchbox is directed by Tony Award-winner Rachel Chavkin and features the music by the Lazours.
The tale of love, yearning, and new beginnings leaves one believing in hope and not letting the past happenings or societal constraints tie one down.
In an interview to the Repertory Magazine Ritesh Batra says,“Theatre is such a powerful tool because it’s so immediate. I love theatre, so I’ve seen a lot of it as an audience member. When I started the process of adapting the film into a stage musical, I spent a couple of years studying the form very deeply. Any musical that was playing near me I would go see multiple times. I would also get my hands on the scripts of musicals just to read the book. I prepared myself to write it for almost five years. Once I started writing the musical, I never opened the script of the movie. It’s such a completely different form — I didn’t want to be beholden to what I had written for another medium. I wrote and directed the film, so I know the broad strokes of it. I know the story beats. But the musical has become a completely new thing that shares some of those beats but has become its own entity.”
The lunchbox mixup is an act of serendipity sparking a tender bond between a Ila-young wife longing to be seen and Fernandes — a widower nearing retirement. As heartfelt notes on food and other happenings pass to and fro in the lunchbox with each meal, the simple act of caring is highlighted.
Performances from Manu Narayan as the reclusive and caring widower and soon to retire office accountant and Kuhoo Verma as the housewife yearning for marital connection and happiness are authentic and heart warming.
Other tangents to the main plot are Anisha Nagarajan as elderly Mrs. Deshpande-Ila’s neighbor looking after her comatose husband for over 15 years and Aathaven Tharmarajah as Shaikh- an office apprentice to Fernandes who has returned back to his country after a stint in the middle east. Both the storylines show the power of genuine human connections and love that Ila and Fernandes are looking for.
Ila, the young housewife and mother has to find strength to break free from a loveless marriage and other perceived societal bondages and lonely widower-Saajan Fernandes has to untie the shackles of his age to seek new beginnings. The story of opening your heart to the unexpected is not only a tale of hope but also of bravery and taking chances.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre has grown from a storefront stage to an international leader in innovative theatre. Known for its ambition, relevance, and excellence, as well as its adventurous audience, the nonprofit has provided a welcoming home for emerging and established artists since 1968. Berkeley Rep has had 91 world premieres and its shows have gone on to win eight Tony Awards, nine Obie Awards, 14 Drama Desk Awards, a Grammy Award, a Pulitzer Prize, and many other honors. In recognition of its place on the national stage, Berkeley Rep received the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre in 1997.
Shalini Kathuria Narang is a freelance journalist and a software professional. She is also a poet, and her poems have been published in several anthologies including “Starry Nights: Poetry of Diaspora in Silicon Valley” and “Pixie Dust and All Things Magical.” She is a monthly contributor to Masticadores USA and has been published by Spillwords Press and San Antonio Press.