Hounslow Harriers in Bend It Like Beckham The Musical. Photo credit Ellie Kurttz.
THEATRE
Review of London’s Theatre Productions by Lydia Parker
Bend It Like Beckham at the Phoenix Theatre Bend It Like Beckham The Musical is an adaptation by Gurinder Chadha of her wildly successful, award winning 2002 film. The actress who played Jess in the film, Parminder Nagra, went on to find some fame on American TV in ER, but was overshadowed by her co-star Keira Knightley who became an overnight international sensation. The star of this musical version, Natalie Drew, who plays Jess, deserves to follow the path of Miss Knightly instead. She is a charming, sympathetic presence who holds the play together with her warmth and sincerity. For anyone who hasn’t seen the film, Bend It Like Beckham tells the story of Jesminder Bhamra, an eighteen year-old girl from a Sikh family in Southall, London, who desperately wants to play football. Her parents have let her knock a ball around in the park with boys but now that she is a young lady, they think she should focus on learning to cook and finding a husband. When she is scouted by Jules, a 36
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young white girl, to play for the Hounslow Harriers, she is thrilled to be asked to join the team. An attraction develops between Jess and the handsome coach Joe, who had to give up playing after a serious knee injury. Unfortunately for Jess, her sister Pinky’s wedding takes precedence over everything, her father discourages her as he is afraid of her facing the same prejudice he did as a budding cricket player, and her mother just wants her to make dhal. Meanwhile, the ambitious Jules is also faced with discouragement from her own mother, the flirty Paula, who can’t understand why she isn’t chasing boys instead of hanging out with Jess all the time, little realising that Jules is actually in love with Joe. It is interesting that in this updated version Paula suspects Jules and Jess of being lesbians, but the writers didn’t want to take the step of actually going so far as to make one of the girls in love with the other. It is never easy to represent a sport on stage, but the choreographer, Aletta Collins, does a wonderful job with making the players always dance in a style suggestive of football. In one of the
final numbers this style is combined beautifully with the Indian dancing of the wedding party, melding together the two sides of Jess’ life. Although I didn’t come out humming any tunes, the music by Howard Goodall was often lovely and tried to incorporate traditional Indian themes into the score. I would have liked a less Western/West End sound throughout, personally, for a musical about a Sikh family. The addition of heritage singers, Shahid Khan and Rekha Sawhney, was a nice touch and it actually felt like they were underused. The lyrics by Charles Hart were clever and a couple of the songs were moving, particularly People Like Us in Act Two, when Mr Bhamra sings about his disappointment in life because of the discrimination he faced in the UK as an immigrant. Issues like racism and feminism make this more than just a highly enjoyable musical; they make it relevant to today’s audience. Aside from a stellar performance from Miss Drew, as Jess, there was strong support from the rest of the cast. Jamie Campbell Bower, known to fans of the Twilight and Harry Potter films, proves he is more than a pretty face as the sensitive and