LIVE PERFORMANCE
USTAD ASHRAF SHARIF KHAN, SHAHBAZ HUSSAIN, AND FRIENDS – IN CONCERT
When: Sunday September 11
Where: Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA
What: Master sitar player Ashraf Sharif Khan and tabla maestro Shahbaz Hussain, along with special guests, will perform live on stage.
www.richmix.org.uk
RUPI KAUR
When: Friday September 16, Sunday September 18, and Monday September 19
Where: Corn Exchange, 2 Wheeler Street, Cambridge CB2 3QB; and Theatre Royal, New Road, Brighton BN1 1SD; and Gillian Lynne Theatre, 166 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5PF
What: The acclaimed poet continues her UK tour with a performance of unpublished pieces and greatest hits from her iconic books. She leads audiences on a journey of personal loss, love, growth, mental health, community, friendship, and strength. See website for further tour dates.
www.Rupikaur.com
THE KIRTAN BAND
When: Saturday September 17
Where: Mahadevi Yoga Centre, 12 Eden Grove, Stapleton House, London N7 8EQ
What: A spiritual evening of devotional songs (kirtan) performed by a passionate and dedicated band, combining singing and live music.
www.eventbrite.com
SAUDHA BANGLA MUSIC FESTIVAL
When: Sunday September 18
Where: Rich Mix, 35-47 Bethnal Green Road, London E1 6LA
What: Free event that sees leading singers of Indian and Bangladeshi origin celebrate the glorious evolution of Bangla music through world-class presentation of different genres.
www.richmix.org.uk
KANTHA KATHA-K
When: Tuesday September 20 – Wednesday September 21
Where: Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre, Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham B5 4TB
What: A unique performance/installation from the Amina Khayyam Dance Company, narrating local stories originated during Covid lockdown
www.birminghamhippodrome.com
BALUJI
When: Friday September 23
Where: The Cut Arts Centre, Halesworth IP19 8BY, Suffolk IP19 8BY
What: Acclaimed multi-instrument musical maestro Baluji Shrivastav OBE will play special ancient melodies that evoke the majesty of music. He will be accompanied on tabla drums by Ustad Yusuf Ali Khan.
www.ticketsource.co.uk
PASOORI IN LONDON – ALI SETHI X SHAE GILL
When: Friday September 30
Where: Indigo at The O2, 205 Peninsula Square, London SE10 0ES
What: Concert headlined by Pakistani singers Ali Sethi and Shae Gill, who are the voices behind blockbuster hit Pasoori. They are supported by popular Pakistani music act Leo Twins.
www.theo2.co.uk
THEATRE
LIFE OF PI
When: Until Sunday October 30
Where: Wyndham’s Theatre, 32-36 Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DA
What: Theatre play based on Yann Martel’s Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name, which revolves around the sole human survivor of a shipwreck stuck on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger, as they battle to survive an epic voyage across the ocean.
www.lifeofpionstage.com
BEYOND BOLLYWOOD
When: Until Saturday September 3
Where: Peacock Theatre, Portugal Street, London WC2A 2HT
What: The popular show returns to the West End. It takes audiences on a journey through Indian culture, dance, and music, while presenting the vibrancy and beauty of Bollywood.
www.sadlerswells.com
SILENCE
When: Thursday September 1 – Saturday September 17
Where: Donmar Warehouse, 41 Earlham Street, Seven Dials, London WC2H 9LX
What: Theatre adaptation of Kavita Puri’s acclaimed book Partition Voices: Untold British Stories, which is inspired by remarkable personal testimonies of people who lived through the last days of the British Raj.
www.donmarwarehouse.com
ANTIGONE
When: Saturday September 3 – Saturday September 24
Where: Open Air Theatre, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NU
What: Zainab Hasan takes on the title role in this contemporary retelling of Sophocles’s epic story with British Asian protagonists, revolving around family, conflict, and a hostile state.
www.openairtheatre.com
THE P WORD
When: Friday September 9 – Saturday October 22
Where: Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Road, Shepherd’s Bush, London W12 8LJ
What: Waleed Akhtar’s sharp-witted and devastating new play charts the parallel lives of two gay Pakistani men, as it moves through casual hook-ups to the UK’s hostile environment.
www.bushtheatre.co.uk
MRS KAPOOR’S DAUGHTER’S WEDDING 2 MAURITIUS
When: Saturday September 10 – Sunday September 11 and Saturday September 24 – Sunday September 25
Where: Beck Theatre, Grange Road, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 2UE
What: Fun-filled follow-up to popular theatre play Mrs Kapoor’s Daughter’s Wedding, which sees the dysfunctional family planning a destination wedding.
www.becktheatre.org.uk
GLITTERBALL
When: Thursday September 15 – Saturday September 24
Where: Watford Palace Theatre, 20 Clarendon Road, Watford WD17 1JZ
What: The new play from acclaimed British Asian theatre company Rifco is a musical comedy that revolves around a divorced middle-aged woman navigating rocky friendships, who is trying to make sense of a past where she was brought up as one half of a Shirley
Bassey tribute act.
www.watfordpalacetheatre.co.uk
COMEDY
VIR DAS: WANTED
When: Tuesday September 13
Where: Beck Theatre, Grange Road, Hayes, Middlesex UB3 2UE
What: Acclaimed Indian stand-up comedian Vir Das brings his brand-new laughter-filled show to UK audiences and confronts important social issues head on.
www.becktheatre.org.uk
DESI CENTRAL COMEDY SHOW
When: Saturday September 17
Where: Elliot Hall in Harrow Arts Centre, 171 Uxbridge Road, Middlesex HA5 4EA
What: Popular comedy show featuring stand-up talents Firuz Ozari, Kane Brown, Tez Ilyas, Farhan Solo and Tommy Sandhu.
www.harrowarts.com
NRI (NON REQUIRED INDIAN)
When: Saturday September 17
Where: Backyard Comedy Club, 231 Cambridge Heath Road, London E2 0EL
What: Stand-up show performed by London-based Indian comedian Ankit Grover, tackling a wide array of relatable subjects and his life as an NRI.
www.backyardcomedyclub.co.uk
NIMESH PATEL
When: Monday September 19
Where: The Comedy Store, 1a Oxendon Street, London SW1Y 4EE
What: Rising American comedy star Nimesh Patel delivers a one-night only show in London and will deliver his unique brand of laughter-filled stand-up humour.
london.thecomedystore.co.uk
CLASSES
FREE BHARATNATYAM CLASSES
When: Wednesdays September 7, 14, 21, 28 and Thursdays September 8, 15, 22, 29
Where: Gamgee House, 2 Darnley Road, Birmingham B16 8TE
What: The Consulate General of India in Birmingham is organising free and weekly dance classes on its premises. Participants need to register beforehand and will be allocated places on a first come first serve basis.
www.eventbrite.com
FULL DAY SIMPLE INDIAN COOKERY COURSE
When: Saturday September 10
Where: Hounslow, London
What: A trip to the local Indian shop to learn about ingredients will be followed by a practical hands-on cooking course learning how to make a variety of Indian dishes, along with learning how to use spices to add a depth of flavour. Check website for further cooking courses.
www.cookingwithmonisha.com
Shai Guy
Ten million stories of migration to Britain