Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Birmingham Rep have announced the cast and creatives for their upcoming co-production of Marriage Material. The production will run at Lyric Hammersmith Theatre from 22 May – 21 June 2025 and Birmingham Rep from 25 June – 5 July.
The cast includes Tommy Belshaw as Jim/Bill, Jaz Singh Deol as Mr Bains/Arjun, Anoushka Deshmukh as Surinder, Celeste Dodwell as Claire/Mrs Flanagan, Avita Jay as Mrs Bains, Kiran Landa as Kamaljit, Omar Malik as Ranjit/Tanvir, and Irfan Shamji as Dhanda. Casting is by Jatinder Chera.
Best-selling author and journalist Sathnam Sanghera’s critically acclaimed novel Marriage Material is adapted for the stage for the first time by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti and directed by Iqbal Khan.
The full creative team includes Good Teeth (Set and Costume Designer), Simeon Miller (Lighting Designer), Holly Khan (Composer and Sound Designer), Anjali Mehra (Movement Director), Rakhee Sharma (Associate Movement Director), Gurkiran Kaur (Voice and Dialect Coach), Harper K Hefferon (Assistant Director), and Anna Wood (Associate Sound Designer).
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti’s first play Behsharam broke box office records at Soho/Birmingham Rep. Her second play Behzti was sensationally closed after protests and won the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.
Iqbal Khan is the Associate Director of Birmingham Rep, an Associate Artist of Box Clever Theatre Company, and the Artistic Director of the 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony. He has worked extensively with the RSC, as well as directing for opera and classical music events.
Sathnam Sanghera said: “What can I say – even if I’d not written the book that the play is based on, I’d rush to see this dream cast in action! I am really excited to see how this talented group of actors bring Gurpeet’s fantastic adaptation to life on stage for the very first time.”
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti added: “I’m delighted to be bringing Sathnam’s heartfelt and funny novel to the stage with this incredible group of actors. I’m looking forward to watching them embrace the epic and bring fine intimate detail to this important story which is so relevant for today.”
Iqbal Khan said: “I am so excited by the company we’ve formed to share Gurpreet’s heartfelt and hilarious tale. They are all actors I admire for their craft, curiosity and fearlessness. It’s a big story that tracks generations and communities, that helps us understand what’s shaped us as a country.”
Rachel O’Riordan, Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre, said: “I’m thrilled that the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre and Birmingham Rep are co-producing Marriage Material, bringing Sathnam Sanghera’s hilarious and heart-warming novel to the stage for the first time. Adapted by Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti and directed by Iqbal Khan, this brilliant new production explores the complexities of family, identity, and belonging across generations. We can’t wait to share this deeply relatable story of love, secrets, and the ties that bind us with audiences here in the heart of West London.”
The Bains’ corner shop in Wolverhampton has been at the centre of the family for three generations. Against the backdrop of a changing 20th century, Mrs Bains is balancing running the business, caring for her ailing husband and the demands of her two headstrong daughters, who each have their eye on a different kind of future.
Fast forward to the present day, a family tragedy pulls Arjan Bains back from a life in London. The shop represents everything he was trying to escape, but with his mother insisting it remain open, how long can he stay away?
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
