I streamed The Citadel Theatres performance of ‘A Brimful of Asha’ , a Mothers Day gift to myself recently. In this play written by Ravi and Asha Jain, a funny and true story of son Ravi and mother Asha is told from each of their own perspectives. This tale includes family expectations, disagreements, dreams and wishes, traditions, arranged marriages, and especially mother-son relationships. This ‘two-hander’, is very well performed by Adolyn H Dar and Nimet Kanji instead of the usual real Ravi and Asha. The set was simple and appropriate and I really liked the use of the occasional video pictures on the back screen. There were a couple of times during the stream that the camera was a bit shaky and the audio was a bit off, especially when the characters were yelling/raising their voices. As a wife and mother of a son, I could relate to most of the issues explored in the play except the arranged marriage (I don’t think that my son would appreciate that!). I was very happy
Shoplifters of the World is set in the mid-80s and highlights the reactions that a group of friends had to the band The Smiths breaking up in 1986. Though this movie may not be based on exact true events it is a film that is based on true intentions which is an interesting take for me, as most films are either fictional or true stories, not a mix of both. Shoplifters of the World is full of musical references from several different bands that were around in the 80s such as Twisted Sister, Alice Cooper and Kiss just to name a few. Another thing to take note of, is the fact that the lines spoken by the main characters are often intertwined with the lyrics from songs by The Smiths. As the main characters hear about The Smiths breaking up one of them plans to hold a final tribute for the best band in the world. Unfortunately, one of them isn't that smart and decides to hold a radio station up at gunpoint and demands that the DJ play The Smiths music all night long instead of the