Wedding albums

Yesterday, after chess, my parents took me to a play called the Wedding Album held in the ESPLANADE studio! This was a play by an all indian cast about the uncertainties of a typical indian wedding. It was mainly about the conflict among the family members about weddings. This play showed the process of choosing a bride/groom for the brother/sister of the family and whether the parents both mum and dad would approve. Often there would be would be conflicts between mum and dad, mum and maid and mum and elder sister! The mum goes through alot of anxiety during this period, often leading to rather melodramatic scenes! For example, she is so stressed out that she shouts at the maid when she adds just a bit too much masala (spice) into the food for the normal family dinner. She throws tantrums at the maid, who does the same back. There is also arguments over which sari to give to which important guests (often the other party).

There is this huge load of responsibility placed on the brother's shoulders during the wedding as he has to tend to his sisters groom and make arrangements for him to visit their family in preparation for the wedding. He struggles with it, as he also has his own girlfriend as a distraction. (who he eventually ditched and then invited her to his home for a night!) Furthermore, uninvited guests appears at his house to discuss a marriage proposal with their daughter! The brother repeatedly refuses the offer to marry their daughter however the parents are so adamant they litteraly keep asking him and delaying his other chores in the process.

This wedding also shows what would happen if a humble traditional indian bride would be paired up with a rich, wealthy businessman from the US. The accent and the scene were so comical that it appeared to sattirize the businessman. The audience infact thought it was a caricature! I thought that it was a stereotype of the american husband as a more physical rather than emotional person who wanted to give and recieve pleasure.

The play ends with the maid reliving her memories of her marraige and her own daughter while the younger daughter of the family finally gets married.