Love N Stuff at Oldham Coliseum
Kristy Stott, Theatre Editor
The teams at Oldham Coliseum have made a welcomed return to the rehearsal room to make a start on the theatre’s first home-produced show since early 2020. Written by Tanika Gupta, Love N Stuff is a laugh-out-loud comedy about love, marriage and the family you choose.
A laugh-out-loud comedy about love, marriage and the family you choose.
Bindi and Mansoor have been happily married for years and have built a great life for themselves in the UK. However, something’s not right and Mansoor has decided to move back to India having left only a parting note for his wife. The play opens as Mansoor is waiting in the departure lounge at the airport for his flight back to India.
However, when Bindi turns up at the airport clutching his farewell letter, Mansoor’s departure isn’t going to be easy. Bindi has hatched a plan to get him to stay and half the neighbourhood are involved too.
Writer Tanika Gupta first introduced the characters of Bindi and Mansoor in her Bollywood musical Wah! Wah! Girls in 2012. The characters were such a hit that Love N Stuff was commissioned as a brand new play about the couple. Written for two actors, each playing a variety of different roles, this production at the Coliseum will see Komal Amin (Trojan Horse for LUNG, Testmatch for English Touring Theatre) take on the role of Bindi and Maanuv Thiara (Landscapers for Sky – alongside Olivia Coleman, Collection 1 for Tara Theatre) as Mansoor. Under the direction of Gitika Buttoo, the actors will also play over 13 other characters including a hippy, a Scottish policewoman and a street-smart teenager.
Oldham Coliseum has just recently announced its first full season since the pandemic too. As we expected, it’s a really exciting programme – with comedy, music and dance featuring alongside thought-provoking drama. As for the latter, we’re particularly looking forward to the multi-award-winning Blue/Orange, directed by the Coliseum’s Chris Lawson. The theatre has also announced that the theatre’s much-loved annual pantomime will return for 2021.
A thoughtful, heartwarming and funny show to welcome audiences back to the Coliseum.
Running at just 80 minutes long, Love N Stuff is a thoughtful, heartwarming and funny show to welcome audiences back to the Coliseum. See it at Oldham before it heads out on a national tour.
