I’ve spent 25 years making theatre about British South Asian lives. The messy ones. The working-class ones. The ones full of aunties, family politics, music, food, love, laughter and contradiction.
And, importantly, the queer ones too.
When I started Rifco Theatre Company 25 years ago, British South Asian stories were incredibly rare on our stages. And when they did appear, they often came carrying a lot of responsibility. We had to explain ourselves. Identity. Immigration. Racism. Cultural conflict.
Those stories matter, of course. But sometimes you want to see brown people falling in love, behaving badly, being completely ridiculous and having a bloody good time.
As a gay British South Asian man, I know how powerful it is to see yourself reflected without your existence becoming the problem that needs solving.
That idea has always been at the heart of Rifco. Our stories are British stories, and they deserve to be told in all their complicated, joyful glory.
Which brings me to Surinderella.
If there was ever a theatrical form invented for queer culture, surely it’s panto. It’s camp, loud and outrageous. Gender is gloriously up for grabs. Men play women, women play men, everyone flirts with everyone, and subtlety has absolutely no place in the building.
With Surinderella, we’ve taken that great British tradition and given it a full Desi makeover. There’s Bollywood, bhangra, big songs, outrageous costumes, terrible jokes and enough sparkle to be visible from space.
And because Surinderella is musical theatre, the music gives us another way to celebrate that spirit. The songs let the characters express themselves boldly, joyfully and without restraint. Much of the cast is queer too, though I’m not about to out anyone, and that lived experience brings an extra layer of truth, energy and fabulousness to the production.
And then there are our Step-Sisters- Lovely and Bubbly.
Lovely is played by Andy Kumar and Bubbly by Rahim Payne, both prolific drag artists who have spent years performing and living proudly in their truth. That matters. They aren’t simply two male actors put into frocks for a panto. They bring their own queer identities, experience and fabulousness onto that stage.
And they are an absolute joy.
What has moved me most is watching audiences embrace them all. We play to huge family audiences, including people from some very traditional and conservative South Asian backgrounds. Yet every night Lovely, Bubbly and the Insta Vlogger Sari Sisters arrive, take up space, flirt, dance, sing, misbehave and completely own that stage.
And judging by the applause they get, they’re in danger of upstaging our lead. Rude, frankly.
But I love it.
Because nobody is asking permission. Nobody is explaining or apologising for who they are. They are simply there – brown, queer, fabulous, authentic and loved.
For me, that is representation.
Growing up queer and British South Asian, there weren’t many images telling me that those two parts of myself could happily live together. Younger queer South Asians have far more visibility today, but that feeling of navigating different worlds hasn’t completely disappeared. Sometimes you can still feel too brown for one room and too queer for another.
That’s why it matters to stand centre stage and tell our truth. To be seen. To be authentic. And, crucially, to experience joy.
There’s something wonderful about a young queer South Asian person sitting in a theatre, perhaps with their parents, grandparents, cousins and the inevitable auntie who knows everybody’s business, watching an entire audience cheering Lovely, Bubbly and the Insta Blogger Sari Sisters on.
No lecture. No apology.
Just: we’re here. And you’re part of this too.
Over 25 years, Rifco has brought thousands of people into theatres who perhaps never imagined those buildings were for them. Britain is brown, Black, queer, straight, mixed, working-class, multilingual and constantly changing. Our stages should be every bit as exciting as the people sitting in the seats.
So come and see Surinderella.
Come for the Bollywood. Come for the bhangra. Come for the songs, the camp, the costumes, the jokes, the sari sisters, and the sort of family chaos everyone will recognise.
Come with your partner. Bring your mates. Bring your mum. Bring your auntie — although be warned, she may recognise herself.
Most importantly, come and have a brilliant night out with us.
After 25 years of Rifco, I’m proud that we can stand centre stage, tell our truth and invite everyone to the party.
And trust me, this party has a lot of glitter.
For tickets and more tour information, visit: https://www.rifcotheatre.com/live-shows/surinderella-2026
Surinderella comes to London, and runs from Tue 20 Oct – Sat 31 Oct 2026, at Theatre Royal Stratford East.
