Class and passion clash when Rani meets Raj in this brand new adaptation of Marivaux’s classic French farce The Game of Love and Chance.

Transporting the story of a betrothal in 1730s France to twenty-first century England, The Game of Love and Chai centres on a marriage between two modern day Asian families.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

It combines familiar French farce with contemporary comedy and Bollywood song and dance.

Rani is engaged to marry Raj, a man she has never met. She is afraid to marry Raj without knowing what type of man he is. Nevertheless, Raj is planning to visit her to formalise the engagement.

In order to observe Raj’s true personality during his visit, Rani asks her mother, Kamala-Ji, if she can change clothes with her servant, so that she can watch him without his knowing her identity.

The widow Kamala-Ji immediately agrees, having coincidentally received a letter from Rani’s father explaining how Raj has also planned to disguise himself as his servant in order to achieve the same goal as Rani.

Kamala-Ji sees this as a great opportunity to play the game of love and chance, allowing the two to fall in love in spite of themselves.

It is from here that the farcical story unfolds…

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

The cast includes Sharon Singh as Rani, Adam Samuel-Bal as Raj, Kiren Jogi as Sita, Ronny Jhutti as Nitin, Goldy Notay as Kamala, Deven Modha as Sunny.

Writer Nigel Planer says: “I’ve been hooked on Indian cinema since 1973.

“I love its range, its daring and its ridiculous sense of fun. So, when I came across Marivaux’s play – a mistaken identity comedy about the foolish things we do when we fall in love – the connection seemed obvious.

“With Marivaux, as with so-called ‘Bollywood’, the main thing is to completely abandon oneself and let foolishness and love take over.”

Marivaux, along with Goldsmith and Sheridan, was one of the first Western playwrights to be produced in India in the late-18th Century.

This new production forms part of Tara Arts Binglish project, exploring the theatrical connections between India and the West, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The new Tara Theatre was re-opened by Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in September 2016 as a dedicated national home for multicultural theatre.

Queen’s Theatre, Billet Lane, Hornchurch, RM11 1QT, April 19 to 21. Details: 01708 443333