Rena Patel's PYAR AUR COFFEE Sells Out Initial Run, Extra Performance Added

The Long Beach Shakespeare Company is presenting Rena Patel's debut stage show, Pyar aur Coffee as part of their New Works Festival. The initial two show run on June 8 at 8pm and June 9 at 1pm and 4pm is fully SOLD OUT. Tickets for an additional third and final show on June 9 at 4pm are selling fast. All performances will take place at the Helen Borgers Theatre at the Long Beach Shakespeare Company.

Starring Syona Varty, Nate Memba, Jessica Elise (also known by her music project Bashlow), and Shaan Legros. Special performances by Ayushi Chhabra, Neal Koripella, Daniel Broadhurst, and Aman Jaisinghani.

Pyar aur Coffee is a Bollywood-inspired interracial romantic comedy following four quick-witted and coffee-addicted friends as they navigate espresso machines, dating apps, and South Asian societal expectations as they figure out what or who makes them happy. One year after her breakup with her non-Indian ex-boyfriend, Aaliya (Syona Varty) vows to only swipe right on South Asian men, much to the chagrin of her friend Jaime (Nate Memba), who harbors a not-so secret crush. Ishaan (Shaan Legros) must deal with the fallout of a bad dinner with his parents, who disapprove of his relationship with his white girlfriend Stella (Jessica Elise).

The Saturday show will be followed by a talk back moderated by award-winning playwright and TV writer Cris Eli Blak.

All three shows are SOLD OUT. There are a limited number of tickets reserved for press for the show on Sunday, June 9 at 4pm. Please contact Holly Leveque (hollyleveque@gmail.com) for more information.

"I understood the power of this play not simply as a beautifully written story by Rena, but its ability to foster deep, social conversations about brown and black relationships, the barriers of dating someone non-Indian, falling in love with someone whose parents will never accept you, and much more."  says Rippin Sindher, director.

"It is a cultural story - and a damn near perfect one - but it is a human story above all else. It is a love story, not only about these couples and their hijinks and misunderstandings, but a love story about a young woman learning to love herself, embrace herself, understand herself, free herself."  said Cris Eli Blak, TV writer (Power Book III: Raising Kanan), winner of Black Broadway Men's Playwrighting Initiative 2023.