Made in (India) Britain – Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, Sheffield

Writer: Rinkoo Barpaga

Director: Tyrone Huggins

In Made in India Britain,Rinkoo Barpaga reflects on his struggles in finding where he truly belongs. Despite growing up in the UK, he still encounters racism and discrimination as an Indian deaf man, but when he returns to India where some of his family still live, he doesn’t feel fully at home there either.

Barpaga’s script is witty and gets plenty of laughs, whilst being moving and challenging. He explores a lot and shares a lot of experiences in a relatively short space of time, whilst the show never feels rushed – the pacing is perfect. Barpaga also performs the play. The audience is in the palm of his hands from the first second. He is a tremendously expressive performer, getting laughs just with his physical characterisations and facial expressions. He morphs from one character into another seamlessly. He also tackles the more emotional moments brilliantly.

Mathias André acts as the voice of Barpaga, as Barpaga performs the show almost entirely in British Sign Language. André captures Barpaga’s sense of humour very well, and the whole audience were laughing regardless of their level of hearing ability. André and Barpaga have a great rapport in the moments we see them on stage together – it is a shame that for most of the production André spends his time sat in a chair off to the side. It would have been fun to see them bounce off each other a little more.

Tyrone Huggins as the director brings the piece to life together very well, and despite there being no set and minimal costumes or props the audience is still completely hooked by the story and the character we see on stage. Tom Clutterbuck’s lighting design and Mark Fenton’s sound design really add to the show, particularly in highlighting the emotion and intensity of certain challenges that Barpaga faces throughout his journey.

Made in India Britainis perfectly positioned as part of the Migration Matters Festival, the UK’s largest festival focused on the stories and experiences of refugees. The packed out Playhouse thoroughly enjoyed the play, and it is well worth a watch if it comes to a venue near you.

Reviewed on 20th June 2023.