Her Name Was Laila.....

I never cease to be amazed by how few members of the Asian community I usually see in West Yorkshire's theatres.

So it was with some considerable enthusiasm that I found myself part of an ethnic minority group last night, as West Yorkshire Playhouse heralded the arrival of a musical hybrid to its stage.

Laila Majnu is one of the great Eastern love stories - Asia's answer to Romeo & Juliet - and, some would argue, the inspiration for Shakespeare's play of the same name.

But the ancient tale was being recounted in families, tribes and countries across the world long before the Bard had even polished his bald spot!

Now, Laila Majnu - the story of star-crossed lovers Laila and Qays - has again provided inspiration, this time for Laila the Musical.

And, thanks to Rifco, the award winning theatre company which develops performances to reflect and celebrate the contemporary British Asian experience, a whole new audience was last night enthralled by a show reflective of their culture, costumes and musical traditions.

And yet, for me, as someone steeped in Lloyd Webber and the so-called 'Western' musical genre, there were so many parallels.

Sumeet Chopra's score was beautifully Asian, with some real Bollywood foot tappers in there, but, so many times, I could hear strains of Jesus Christ Superstar, and the 'Western' musical tradition momentarily permeating through, hence my earlier comment about this being very much a 'hybrid'. Maybe the influence as Dougal Irvine as lyricist completed the East West circle?

In the Philippines, where the national tongue is Tagalog, they intersperse their native tongue with English to produce what is known nationally as 'Taglish'. Last night we might have been witnessing Paklishire, a hybrid of Urdu, English and Yorkshire!

The accents were as regional as those you hear in Akbar's on Leeds Road, only the setting felt anything but local! Then again, is that not what Mr Rutter has come to be known for in his Northern Broadsides productions? The company's recent Merry Wives was as accentually broad as a Yorkshire pudding!

I enjoyed Mona Goodwin as Laila - her training at Mountview Academy was evident - and Reece Bahia as Qays was equally endearing. However, some of the other performances were fair to middling and not all were entirely convincing.

Overall Laila the Musical was enjoyable but, like any 'new' productions that veer from perceived mainstream, they have to be considered, evaluated and digested over time so that a taste is acquired; let's call it Marmite syndrome!
The Asian lady next to me confessed to not knowing what Billy Elliot the musical was all about. She in turn grinned and expressed surprise that I did not know about Laila Majnu, a staple diet of her childhood.

And that is why there is a place for Laila the Musical. On the one hand it is for Asians in that it speaks their cultural language and, hopefully, brings them to the theatre, however, it is also for non-Asians in that it further educates about a doorstep culture with which they are already briefly familiar.

Honour killings have been in the news over the years and, at times, there was breath-taking silence in the auditorium as the issues of arranged marriages, traditions, and the right of an individual to choose a partner were explored. Indeed, the musical's ending even dares to imply that older Asians need to be less hard line and, perhaps, more accepting of change.

I think Laila the Musical - essentially about two feuding families with a boy and a girl from each falling in love - has a real place in British theatre, and I would urge everyone to watch it.

For some it will not immediately be loved, but, give it time. Asians familiar with its themes and principal story, will love it, whilst non-Asians will appreciate its content whilst, hopefully, coming to an understanding that, sometimes, theatre is not always about Oklahoma, Chitty Chitty Bang or Billy Elliot! There is room in theatrical life for a more rounded diet. Laila is a healthy main course to be enjoyed by everyone even if the ghee and accents are sometimes a little thick!

At West Yorkshire Playhouse until Sunday 8 May 2016.