LOTUS BEAUTY: REVIEWS ROUND-UP
Posted on 30 May 2022.
Posted in: Hampstead Downstairs
★★★★ ‘A poignant look at the human need to fit in… a triumph’ WhatsOnStage
★★★★ 'Very much speaks to our times...the all-female cast is superb, brimming with energy throughout' The Understudy
★★★★ 'One of the year’s finest plays... Humour and deep emotion blend seamlessly in a comedy-drama that is wonderfully staged in an intimate setting' Eastern Eye
Offie Nominations, Performance Ensemble, Set Design, New Play, Director and Production.
★★★★
Lotus Beauty at Hampstead Theatre – review
James FitzGerald, WhatsOnStage
'Satinder Kaur Chohan's new play, which captures the kinds of intimate conversations that happen in a beauty parlour for South Asian women, has been 15 years in the making.'
'Each of the women's lives are governed by how good others think they look – a fraught question when cultural ideas of beauty may differ wildly between, say, India and the UK.'
'Their stories unfold through chat, gossip, and argument. This repartee was inspired by Chohan's own experiences of salons in Southall, and is made zingy by director Pooja Ghai.'
'Lotus Beauty is a poignant look at the human need to fit in... Its triumph is to create a believable ‘safe space' in which women can talk and share stories – despite their different ages and backgrounds.'
★★★★
Review: Lotus Beauty, Hampstead Theatre
Chris Dobson, The Understudy
'Satinder Chohan’s new play, Lotus Beauty, is all about contrasts: Young and old, beautiful and ugly, funny and tragic. The performance space in Hampstead Downstairs is intimate and simple: Ambient light infuses the set, which depicts a garishly pink beauty salon in Southall. The Ringham Brothers provide an evocative soundtrack, bringing the salon to life whether through the whirring of trains overhead or the pattering of rain outside.'
'The all-female cast is superb, brimming with energy throughout, whether it be in the risqué banter of the play’s first half or the fiery arguments of the second half, when contrasting world views meet in a collision...'
'Although this play is set within the confines of a small beauty salon, it stands as a microcosm for the experiences of women of colour across this island.'
★★★★
Review: ‘Lotus Beauty’ cleverly captures cross-generational female experiences
Asjad Nazir, Eastern Eye
'The accomplished play, powered by a female cast and creative team, is driven by a free-flowing feminine energy. Humour and deep emotion blend seamlessly in a comedy-drama that is wonderfully staged in an intimate setting. The various sub-plots come together nicely to show different sides of the British Asian female experience across three generations, through unique characters. There are some hilarious one-liners, but also moments that take the audiences by surprise and raw emotions that bubble to the surface.'
'...one of the year’s finest theatre plays'
Lotus Beauty now plays Downstairs until 18 June.
