The Immigrants: A Heartfelt Blend of Laughter, Culture, and Identity

“THE IMMIGRANTS”, is a double bill — two short plays performed back to back with a ten minute intermission. Both plays deal with the trials and tribulations of newly arrived immigrants into the new world — the plays are packed with laughs and have very interesting story lines and characters. The two plays are;

THE PUSHCART PEDDLARS

The greenhorn, Shimmel Shitzman, fresh from the old country, meets the older, wiser Cornelius, and is inveigled into buying his pushcart business. Complications arise when Cornelius returns with another pushcart and proceeds to compete with Shimmel at the same location. This is when Shimmel is smitten by Maggie, a flower seller who aspires to become a musical comedy star. Learning quickly to adapt, Shimmel decides to become a theatrical producer, with hilarious albeit satisfying results. The play runs for 45 minutes.

THE INDIANS

The scene is the Indian Store and Laundry which is also home for the Sharma family. Father, mother and son, “Chester.” The older Sharmas are quite obviously Indian while Chester (whose real name is Chatur) is not. His questions, as to the possibility of his real biological parents, are invariably turned aside by the Sharmas. Chester asks his girlfriend (a nice American girl) to meet his family, without telling her they are Indian, which results in a series of hilarious misunderstandings. The Sharmas, indignant at Chester’s obvious reluctance to be an Indian, and ever punch-lines — “Barmy Baba”, are swept aside in this final blow of family drama in India, in the end the burning question of identity is not answered, but with charming insouciability the author has drawn laughter as his past. The play runs for 45 minutes.

Both the plays are comedies and run for a combined duration of 90 minutes and is performed with a 10 minute interval.

Both plays are directed by Michael Muthu.