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Heer and Ranjha

Pauline McLean | 10:11 UK time, Wednesday, 26 November 2008

There are some theatrical experiences you find yourself rooting for, because they're all too rare.

And last night at Tramway in the southside of Glasgow, was one of them.

Heer and Ranjha are the Punjabi version of Romeo and Juliet and every bit as prevalent in South Asian culture as their Shakespearean cousins are in western culture.

This version merges the two, setting Heer and Ranjha in contemporary Glasgow, from two rival Sikh and Muslim families.

Heer is a spoiled society girl, whose father owns a chain of restaurants while Ranjha is struggling to deal with the problems which beset his traditionalist brothers in liberal Scotland.

The sharply written script is by Shan Khan; the production by Glasgow based Ankur Productions.

The River Clyde dominates the staging - sparkling beneath a despondent Ranjha as he plans to jump from George IV Bridge, glittering alongside Heer's father's yacht as she prepares to take a different leap and marry someone else.

It's also a huge leap for Ankur onto Tramway's stage - although their numbers are swelled by students from local colleges who give the big Bollywood numbers an extra oomph.

And the community - while not exactly out in force - is definitely spreading the word.

At just over two hours, the show is slightly long and loses some of its pace in the second half.

But it's refreshingly lively, and entertaining, offering fresh words and voices for a whole new range of actors - Nalini Chetty and Taqui Nazeer in particular stand out as the star crossed lovers.

With a cast of 27 - including 18 dancers and impressive choreography and original music - it's one of the most original productions you'll see at the moment.

It runs till Saturday at Tramway. It deserves a wider audience too, and hopefully will get the chance to tour at a later date.

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