Review: THE LUNCHBOX at Berkeley Rep

The Lunchbox

Book and Co-Lyrics by Ritesh Batra

Music and Co-Lyrics by The Lazours

Directed by Rachel Chavkin

Berkeley Rep

In the opening number of this world premiere, “No Wrong Mistake,” the busy dabawallahs of Mumbai brag that they never make a mistake in delivering over 200,000 lunchboxes a day – well almost never. A mistaken delivery sparks a lovely romance between a widower nearing retirement and a young wife trapped in a loveless marriage. Opening with the wild choreography of Bay Area native Reshma Gajjar, the sing-song music of the Lazour brothers Patrick and Daniel and lyrics by writer Ritesh Batra, The Lunchbox plays out on the spectacular four story set by Tony winner Mimi Lien. Right out the gate, Ritesh Batra’s musical adaptation of his debut film, winner of the Grand Rail d’Or at Cannes, is a stunning, endearing masterwork.

Director Rachel Chavkin, a 2019 Tony winner for her work on Hadestown, has corralled a creative team of techs, musicians, and actors to create an almost fairytale-like allegory that sparkles with charm, beautifully touching on the need for human connections and displaying the appeal of Indian music and dance and storytelling.

The idea of two people exchanging notes or emails without meeting is not new, think of The Shop Around the Corner or You’ve Got Mail. Here, Ila (Kuhoo Verma) is surprised to find the lunchbox she thinks is going to her busy husband makes it way to Saajan Fernandes (Manu Narayan), an accountant nearing retirement and the two begin exchanging notes. Initially the missives are about her food but become increasingly more personal as the two commiserate over their lot in life, through song and writing.

Ila’s husband is distant, uninterested in her attempts to re-warm their relationship with another child. She’s also grieving the suicide of her brother, something she has in common with Saajan who still mourns his late wife. Saajan is feeling old, ready to be standing his newly purchased vertical burial plot. When the chance arrives to finally meet with Ila, he reneges and his reason is heartbreaking. When in the bathroom is smells the smell of an old man, his grandfather’s smell and feels useless. When Ila’s daughter tells her about Bhutan, a land that measures success by its Gross National Happiness, she decides to leave her philandering husband for a new life.

Two wonderful supporting characters flesh out the themes of following your dreams and rebirth. Ila’s Auntie (Anisha Nagarajan) has been caring for her invalid husband for 15 years and is tired, hopeless, and metaphorically hungry. Shaikh is a fraudster, hired to replace Saajan, who dreams big and goes for it with authentic gusto. Representing hope, his enthusiasm for life revives Saajan who then decides to also leave for Bhutan and a new life.

With a wonderful chorus of dancers and musicians, The Lunchbox shines with vibrant energy and makes us feel we too can overcome lethargy and depression by engaging with others and sharing our thoughts. A recurring message is “we forget things if we have no one to tell them to” which is the legacy of handed down traditions and history. From the enthusiastic response of the opening night audience, The Lunchbox is a winner.

The Lunchbox continues through July 5th. Tickets available at http://www.berkeleyrep.org/  or by calling the box office at 510 647-2949.

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