Review of Bumbug The Musical

Hi everyone! Guess it’s been a while since you heard from us. Admittedly, we’ve been a bit sporadic with blogging lately. With a hectic work schedule, busy holiday season, and our recent travels, blogging has taken a backseat. No worries, right? These are all part of the blogging ups and downs. Sometimes life gets in the way, sometimes you worry about not posting often enough, sometimes you want a break from it, and sometimes you wonder what the point of your blog is at all. But at the end of the day, we started this blog not for anyone else but for us. So even if the blog has no point, no theme, or no consistency, we’re okay with it…or learning to be okay with it. Do any of you feel that way?

Well, after that random rant...here’s a review of a play I attended last weekend: On a gloomy and rainy Sunday afternoon, my husband and I made our way into Clurman Theatre where “Bumbug: The Musical” was set to play. We weren’t sure what to expect – we’d only heard that this was a holiday-themed musical produced by Indians with mainly Indian actors. Once the show got going, it took little time to realize that this is a “desi” version of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol". In this story, the central character is an Indian immigrant aptly named Scroogewala who runs a convenience store in New York City, all lonely and jaded. There’s the love interest of Scroogewala, Sunita, who opens her heart to him despite her own fears and misgivings. And finally, there’s the ghost who shows Scroogewala his past, present, and future and teaches him to let go of his hang-ups and freakin’ accept love in his life already! The storyline was familiar, of course, but there was a parallel narrative about the homesickness, isolationism, and loneliness faced by immigrants in the United States and how they learn to deal with these difficulties. While there were no surprises with how the story ended, the 1.5 hour-long show was certainly entertaining with a cast of talented actors/singers and musicians. My absolute favorite part of the show? A hilarious performance by Sunita's mother on how to seduce a boy! I thought the whole musical was a good mix of comedy and emotional depth. Go watch it while the show is still running!

The stage setup...notice the many, many boxes of Indian Kingfisher beer!