A little piece of India is coming to Hawera next month.
Independent theatre company Indian Ink is bringing its latest play, Guru Of Chai, to Hawera's Memorial Theatre on August 12 and 13.
Scooping Best Play, Best Actor and Best Composer award on debut, Guru of Chai, written by JacobRajan and Justin Lewis, has gone on to sell out tours around the world, ultimately being picked up by a top US agent.
The contradictions of modern India with its iPhones and ancient gods come alive in this outrageously funny and heartbreakingly beautiful romantic thriller. A poor chai-wallah [tea seller] has his life changed forever when a young girl is abandoned at a busy railway station and brings the place to a standstill with the beauty of her singing.
The guru [Jacob Rajan] is a buck-toothed chameleon, channeling 17 characters and leaping to multiple locations, delivering a serpentine romantic thriller while dispensing dubious spiritual wisdom. He is by turns charming, loathsome and absurdly profound. Laughter, heartbreak and enlightenment abound.
There's also a killer live soundtrack, thanks to the talented and award-winning multi-instrumentalist Adam Ogle. For Guru of Chai plays the banjo, drum machine, whistles and even a humble plastic bag deftly weaving a vibrant musical score with an atmospheric soundscape.
In its review, the New Zealand Listener said Guru of Chai "changes the way you see the world".
Tickets start from $45. Call 0800 111 323 to book.
