Manju Nayar, Amirah Mahmood, and Jonathan Feld Photo by Molly Weibel

Log Kya Kahenge? features a Desi-American central character, surrounded–it might be said, smothered by–her Desi-American community. Desi is a broad, informal term that encompasses the people, practices and products of the Indian subcontinent, including the Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani diaspora. The play is welcome, as Desi-Americans are not so often depicted on our stages. Siddiqui's play is a comedy–a very funny one, especially in its first act–that could only have been written by someone who knows the turf they are poking holes in.

It also addresses serious themes, like the obligation one has to one's cultural heritage, including gender behavior norms, and the competitive pressure put upon their young to achieve at the highest of levels (Desi daughter to father: "I got a 96 on my chemistry exam." Father: "What happened to the other four points?"). Most of all, it directly tackles the stigma attached to seeking help for one's mental health, or even acknowledging the presence of such difficulties (Desi daughter to mother: "I am just trying to take care of my mental health." Mother: "Mental health? We don't have that!").

Sofia Khan is happy working as an administrator at Low Status Women's Clinic when, out of the blue, she is recruited to a position as head of the emergency department at Prestige Hospital. Sofia's parents, Omar and Aasiya, her fianc©é Nayil, and Nayil's mother Asma all insist that Sofia must take the job; in fact, they behave as if her decision has been made, even as Sofia expresses doubts. Only her sister Sara supports Sofia in choosing based on what she actually wants. Sara, though, is the family's black sheep. Having flunked out of college, she is now secretly planning to apply to culinary arts school, a goal she hides from her "log kya kahenge?"-obsessed family.

On top of this, Nayil proposes to Sofia in front of the whole family so that before Sofia, caught by surprise, knows how to respond, her parents chime in, "Of course she says ‘yes'," then proceed to tell Sofia about plans already made with Nayil and Asma for the wedding. Later, Sofia discovers that Nayil has already purchased a condo for them. Sofia is visibly shaken and tries to deflect their control, but feels helpless. She knows their behavior is in their blood as Desi parents. Also, with Sara the black sheep, it is up to her to be the "respectable" daughter. She sucks it all in, says yes to Nayil, and accepts the job, which turns out even worse than she feared when she realizes that she was a diversity hire.

Throughout all this, Sofia's best friend Iyla makes on and off appearances that gain full dramatic force in the play's second act, when everything that could go wrong seems to have done just that. It is here that the issue of mental health comes to the fore. Sofia realizes that with or without her parents and fiancé's support, she must take the steps necessary to care for herself, even in defiance of tradition-bound expectations.

Siddiqui has constructed an engaging plot that follows a logical course without obvious missteps, something surprisingly rare among new plays I have seen recently. Her characters feel authentic and their dialogue rings true, even when intentionally bent to deliver a laugh line–of which there are many. Her depiction of the Desi family at the heart of the play shows off an insiders barbed criticism, but also an abiding affection. That cannot be said of the two white hospital administrators at Prestige Hospital who make appearances, archly drawn to display their credo–cover your butt!

By the way, Prestige Hospital and Low Status Women's Clinic are the actual names Siddiqui has given these institutions, making it crystal clear what the Desi elders think of them, and doing the same with a bakery, a jewelry shop, a condo development, and more. This might have been a cloying gimmick, but the characters use these names so matter-of-factly, their judgments such a reflex, that it feels completely right. Siddiqui also uses cartoon panels projected on either side of the stage during scene transitions to poke fun, and also illuminate traditional Desi values, behaviors and judgements. These are, mostly, humorous, with Layla Curley providing the witty illustrations, and are another way in which the playwright has cradled her serious core themes in a satiric, but good-natured nest.

Director Suzy Meserole, Siddiqui's co-artistic director at Exposed Brick, unspooled the play's narrative with clarity, maintaining a steady balance between moments of comedy and heartbreak. The cast was uniformly excellent, many affiliated with South Asian Arts & Theater House. Amirah Mahmood had the biggest weight to carry as Sofia, having to show feelings to the audience that Sofia hides from her family, coming to terms with the hornets' nest that is her new job, falling to pieces as she descends to an emotional nadir, and then finding the strength to rebuild herself. Mahmood was wonderful in this challenging role, never faltering in conveying what Sofia is experiencing.

Sayali Amarapurkar as Aasiya, Ankita Ashrit as Sara, Madhu Bangalore as Omar, Jonathan Feld as Nayil, and Manju Nayar as Asma all gave excellent performances that created a clear sense of their character's perspective without turning to caricature. Lauren Rae Anderson and Leif Jurgensen, as the hospital suits, actually did come across as caricatures, but that would be in keeping with how Sofia experiences them. In the role of Iyla, Divya Maiya had a more subtle presence, but performed a lovely dance sequence that conveyed the pain Iyla carries with her.

Speaking of dance sequences, this Log Kya Kahenge? also treated us to a modest Bollywood dance number (it makes sense as part of Sofia's recovery), not as slick as the real thing but still fun to watch. It closed up with another shot of Bollywood to send the audience out on a high note. Divya Maiya and Anjali Gopal were the show's co-movement directors, and Adarsh Rajaraman composed the music.

Michaela Lochen's scenic design served the production well, depicting two quite different apartment settings using the same basic elements. Samantha Fromm Haddow's costumes were beautiful, drawing on traditional and contemporary wardrobes, with middle-aged Aasiya's yoga outfits particularly witty. Bailey Fenn's sound design, Mitchell Frazier's lighting design, and Isabella Freeland's property design–both of those apartments contain a lot of stuff–all served the production quite well.

Log Kya Kahenge is a refreshingly good and distinctive play, and the production at Lyric Arts did it proud. So, what is that bad news? This: I didn't know that the performance date marked on my calendar was for an atypical (for Lyric Arts) Saturday matinee rather than the customary Saturday evening. That was because, unbeknownst to me, downtown Anoka, where Lyric Arts sits, was overtaken that particular Saturday evening by the city's annual Halloween parade. It turns out this is a major event, with Anoka claiming the unofficial title of "Halloween Capital of the World." I struggled through the throngs, estimated at 20,000, standing shoulder to shoulder to view the parade, only to reach the theater and find it dark. I was able to reschedule, but not until the final weekend of Log Kya Kahenge?'s run. Hopefully, through the efforts of the three partners, or the astute eye of another theatre company, it will have a future life, and this review will spur you to be on the lookout for it.

Log Kya Kahenge? (What Will People Say?), a co-production of Lyric Arts, Exposed Brick Theatre and South Asian Arts & Theater House, ran October 18 - November 2, 2024, at Lyric Arts Main Street Stage. For information about Lyric Arts, please visit www.lyricarts.org. For information about Exposed Brick Theatre, please visit www.exposedbricktheatre.com. For information about South Asian Arts & Theater House, please visit www.saathmn.org.

Playwright: Aamera Siddiqui; Director: Suzy Messerole; Movement Co-Directors: Anjali Gopal and Divya Maiya; Composer: Adarsh Rajaraman; Scenic Design: Michaela Lochen; Costume Design: Samantha Fromm Haddow; Lighting Design: Mitchell Frazier; Sound Design/Projections Programming: Bailey Fenn; Assistant Sound Designer: Visal Anandakumar; Illustrator: Layla Curley Props Design: Isabella Freeland; Intimacy Coach: Callie Aho; Stage Manager: Amanda Oporto; Assistant Stage Manager: Maddie Ronning.

Cast: Sayali Amarapurkar (Aasiya Khan), Lauren Rae Anderson (Leslie Obermeyer), Ankita Ashrit (Sara Khan), Madhu Bangalore (Omar Khan), Chaitanya Bhandare (ensemble), Jonathan Feld (Nayil Iqbal), Anjali Gopal (ensemble), Leif Jurgensen (Dean Schoenwald), Amirah Mahmood (Sofia Khan), Divya Maiya (Iyla Sheikh), Manju Nayar (Asma Iqbal), Sandesh Sukhram (ensemble).