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Breakdown
PIMMI VERMA
Female, 40s. SOUTH ASIAN. Still sexy in her 40s, she is much more than just Lalit’s loving wife - she is his rock. She relishes in taking care of her children, especially her son Varun whom she dotes on and spoils. Exceedingly cheerful when not equally frazzled, she is constantly buzzing with energy. She is the kind of person who smokes in a toilet to hide her habit, even though everyone knows she does it. Vocal description: Strong mezzo with rich chest sound (up to E on staff) Mostly featured ensemble singing with a few solos.
ADITI VERMA
Female, mid 20’s. SOUTH ASIAN. Beautiful, fashionable Aditi is about to have an arranged marriage with a nice young man from New Jersey, after placing an advertisement in a matrimonial column in India. This is in rebound of a thankless affair she has been having with her boss Vikram, a married man and TV talk show host. She is ditsy but brave in her way, and longing escape to the anonymity of America, away from relatives and ex-boyfriends. Vocal description: Soprano but with very strong chest register (needs clear soprano up to Ab) Solo/duet and ensemble singing. An ingénue sound with rich timbre.
RIA VERMA
Female, 30. SOUTH ASIAN. A driven, independent, vibrant feminist, she is a social worker who wants to be a writer and has no interest in getting married and settling down. Full of beans and mischief, her quick wit is often jokingly directed at members of her family. Because she is 30 and unwed, she must suffer frequent comments from her aunties related to her spinsterhood. Underneath her cheerful and happy go lucky persona, she hides a wound from her past. After her father passed, she was adored and nurtured by Lalit and his family who regard her as a daughter. Vocal description: Mezzo soprano with strong chest voice – low is very important here (up to D though)- most forceful and guttural female singer in the show.
SAROJ RAI / ENSEMBLE
Female, mid/late 40s. SOUTH ASIAN.
SAROJ RAI: Mother of the groom and married to Mohan, she is a neurotic, snooty, polished lady who thinks that no one is good enough for her son. The product of an arranged marriage herself, she, like many Indian mothers-in-law to be considers herself entitled and privileged in accordance with her status as mother of the groom. She could be said to have a drinking problem…. Vocal description: Mezzos and sopranos needed. Strong ability to sing harmony as well as knowledge of Indian folk music and should be adept in improvisational Indian styles.
VEENA VERMA / ENSEMBLE
Female, 50s. SOUTH ASIAN. A shrewd, dignified and elegant widow, Veena is Ria’s mother, and Lalit’s sister-in-law. After the death of her husband, Veena and Ria have been absorbed into Lalit’s family. She is the epitome of the “disapproving aunty” who is always tut-tutting or pointing out flaws. This disapproval stems from a deep concern for the wellbeing of her daughter Aditi, who at 30 and is as yet unwed, and therefore unsettled in life, which to her, as the only surviving parent is terrifying. Vocal description: Mezzos and sopranos needed. Strong ability to sing harmony as well as knowledge of Indian folk music and should be adept in improvisational Indian styles.
VIJAYA / ENSEMBLE
Female, mid 50s. SOUTH ASIAN. Married to Tej, she is a strong, elegant, and dignified lady who is authoritative and has a commanding presence. She is extremely graceful and always finds a way to appear dignified in even the most challenging situation. Vocal description: Mezzos and sopranos needed. Strong ability to sing harmony as well as knowledge of Indian folk music and should be adept in improvisational Indian styles.
MA / ENSEMBLE
Female, late 70s. Approaching blindness, she is a child of the partition of India. She looks diminutive but is filled with strength, appears conservative but is more liberal than her son. Vocal description: Mezzos and sopranos needed. Strong ability to sing harmony as well as knowledge of Indian folk music and should be adept in improvisational Indian styles.
SHASHI CHAWLA
Female, Mid/late 40s. SOUTH ASIAN. Shashi is married to CL, and is a larger than life, buxom “aunty” devoted to bling and gossip. She knows how to enjoy every moment of life, has impeccable comic timing, and is full of excitement. She is the bride’s aunt. Vocal description: Mezzos and sopranos needed. Strong ability to sing harmony as well as knowledge of Indian folk music and should be adept in improvisational Indian styles.
ALIYA CHAWLA / ENSEMBLE
Female, to play 8-14 years old. SOUTH ASIAN. Curious, spirited and naïve she is the baby of the family, loved and protected by all, and sometimes teased as a child her age would be. Vocal description: Mezzos and sopranos needed. Need an actress who can carry a tune.
VIKRAM/ TAMEEZUDDIN / ENSEMBLE
Male, SOUTH ASIAN.
VIKRAM: Late 30’s. A supercilious talk show host, he is smart, sophisticated, impeccably dressed, and has a distinct Oxbridge accent which makes him a draw on television. He is married, having an affair with the bride-to-be Aditi, and thinks he is god's gift to women. TAMEEZUDDIN: Dubey’s helper. Coarse, loyal, and lazy. Vocal description: Baritones and tenors needed. Strong ability to sing harmony as well as knowledge of Indian folk music and should be adept in improvisational Indian styles.
HEMANT RAI
Male, late 20s/early 30s. SOUTH ASIAN. Sincere, polite, and endearing, Hemant – the groom - comes across as the ideal Indian bachelor with his job in America. A bit of a mama’s boy, for years he has been indoctrinated into believing that there exists an idealized perfect Indian girl that he should marry. Tired of online dates with skinny Americans, he is convinced that Aditi is the right girl to bring India home to him. Vocal description: Tenor – leading man – needs contemporary sound with classical fundamentals (up to A) Solo material as well as some ensemble.
VARUN VERMA
Male, to play 14-16. SOUTH ASIAN. A mama’s boy in the throes of adolescence and teenage angst. Mildly effeminate, and uninterested in sports, he prefers to spend his time singing, dancing, or watching Top Chef. Sensitive yet strong, he comes out of the closet to his family and faces a mixed reaction. Though he does not enjoy his father being tough on him, or constantly asking him to run errands, he does love him and his family a great deal. Vocal description: Tenor – childlike sound (up to high A) Mostly featured ensemble singing with some solo material.
LALIT VERMA
Male, mid 40s/60s. SOUTH ASIAN. Father of the bride, and the glue that holds his large extended family together. An extroverted, large-hearted, doting father, he is stressed with planning and paying for the best wedding in town, and all that it entails. He believes in tradition, and upholds the honor of his family above all else. He is happily married to Pimmi. They have 2 children, Aditi the bride, and their 16-year old Varun. They have raised his niece, 30-year-old Ria, his late brother's daughter, as their own. Though Lalit is strong, he depends heavily on Pimmi to take care of him and control his emotional side. Think Tevye from Fiddler on The Roof. Vocal description: booming baritone with higher notes (up to G) Needs to have commanding voice with richness and ability to sing improvisational Indian scales. Solo material and some ensemble.
PK DUBEY
Male, mid 30s. SOUTH ASIAN. Eccentric, genial, coarse and a lover of every type of electronic gadget, he is a symbol of upwardly mobile India. He is a wedding planner and event manager extraordinaire. In his mid 30s, and living at home with his elderly mother, he is infatuated with Alice, the Verma’s domestic worker, and has sworn that the next wedding he plans will be his own. His awkward and endearing sensibility can only be described by his own mantra “exactly and approximately”. Vocal description: Tenor – character singer, but must have legit sound (up to high A) Should also have strong sense of Indian improvisation and style.
ALICE
Female, mid 20s. SOUTH ASIAN. Alice is a beautiful domestic worker/servant/house keeper in the Verma household from the state of Bihar. A convert to Christianity, Alice is soft spoken but has a sharp tongue. She is a dew drop, delicate but strong. A part of the family but not quite, she is self-aware and assertive, and will not be taken for granted by anyone. Vocal description: Mezzo soprano with high chest (up to D) Primarily solo material. Needs to have good sense of improvisational Indian scales and ornamentation.
TEJ
Male, mid/late 50s. SOUTH ASIAN. He is the wealthy patriarch of the family, oozes elegance and sophistication, lives in America, appears dignified but is later exposed as someone with a history of abusing younger members of the family. Vocal description: Baritones and tenors needed. Strong ability to sing harmony as well as knowledge of Indian folk music and should be adept in improvisational Indian styles.
CL CHAWLA
Male, mid/late 50s. SOUTH ASIAN. Large, loud and loveable, he is the uncle that every family has who revels in dirty jokes and truly knows how to have a good time. He is the bride’s uncle. Vocal description: Baritones and tenors needed. Strong ability to sing harmony as well as knowledge of Indian folk music and should be adept in improvisational Indian styles.
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