Happy Birthday Sunita

​Rifco Theatre Company in association with Watford Palace Theatre present: Happy Birthday Sunita.

The Johals are celebrating Sunita’s birthday in Mum’s new kitchen, and you’re invited to the surprise party.

It’s not just the dhal that’s bubbling under the surface – with decades of unfinished business, everyone’s true selves start to burst out when they least expect it. And it’s up to the family to pick each other back up and celebrate themselves for who they truly are.

Unexpected guests, butter-free roti and skeletons in the cupboard aren’t enough to stop them busting out some classic Punjabi shapes in the kitchen! Join the Johal family for a wild ride that will leave you laughing, crying, and talking all the way home.

Written by Hollyoaks star Harvey Virdi, the hugely popular 2014 play from Rifco Theatre Company has been revived with a fresh line-up of strong female leads and a whip smart script, capturing the complex family dynamics of the Johal family in a post-Brexit and post-pandemic world.

Digging deeper into the characters and the relationships between them, the 2023 version stars Indian TV and film actress Divya Seth Shah (Goodbye, Duranga, Jab We Met) who takes on the role of Tejpal, the matriarch of the Johal house.  Bhawna Bhawsar (Eastenders, Emmerdale, The Undeclared War) stars as Sunita, the reclusive birthday girl, and rising star Rameet Rauli (Eastenders, Little English) plays Harleen, Tejpal’s high-maintenance daughter-in-law.

The cast is completed by talented actors Devesh Kishore (Last Night, GH Boy and The Bone Sparrow) who plays Tejpal’s fun-loving son, a typical Punjabi mummy’s boy, and Keiron Crook (Coronation Street, Screw, and Violet) who plays Maurice, an east end builder made good, who’s been working on Tejpal’s kitchen renovations.

Put on your birthday party finery and get ready for a samosa saga.

Age Restriction: 10+