'Masala Dabba' serves a powerful blend of generations and heritage on stage

Timylle Adams and Ansuya Nathan (photo by Jordan Gohara)

In their 40th anniversary season, Long Beach’s acclaimed International City Theatre (ICT) is presenting the world premiere of ‘Masala Dabba’, a powerful and moving new play by the multiple award-winning playwright-in-residence Wendy Graf.

ITC’s award-winning Artistic Director/ Producer is caryn desai. The award-winning Marya Mazor directs the three-week run through September 21st.

‘Masala Dabba” is presented in the gorgeous Beverly O’Neill Theatre with perfect sight lines, 823 seats and a thrust stage. Even though it has more seats, it is even more intimate than the Mark Taper Forum.

Recognized by Long Beach as the city’s resident professional theater company, ICT is the recipient of over 500 awards, including the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s prestigious Margaret Harford Award for “Sustained Excellence” and the LADCC’s 2016 Polly Warfield Award for an “Excellent Season.” Former Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe called ICT “a cultural treasure.”

First and second-generation members of a multi-cultural American family see themselves reflected in stories from the past — each inspired by a spice in their grandmother’s Indian spice box, called a “masala dabba.”

How do we resolve deep resentments that often divide our families, the very people we should be able to count on for love and support?

American born Nisha Byrd (Asundra Nathan) has long been estranged from her Indian mother, Aditi (Nandini Minocha). The two haven’t spoken since Aditi returned to her native Gujurat after Nisha’s marriage to Charlie (Jon Gentry), and Aditi has never met Tina (Timylle Adams), her now 14-year-old granddaughter. Charlie is black, and the multiracial Tina identifies as being black, knowing nothing of her Indian heritage.

When an unanticipated event brings Aditi back to the States and into the Byrd family’s orbit, long buried truths bubble to the surface. This is a family of cooks. Food becomes a portal into the past as the three generations of women bond through stories inspired by the spices in Aditi’s masala Dabba.

“My plays return again and again to themes of family, culture, and identity as seen through the lens of race, religion, politics, war and today’s schisms. Masala Dabbacenters on a mixed Indian and African American family, but I hope that all audiences will see themselves and their families in this story. I want them coming away, talking about the play,” says Graf.

Entering the theatre, you are captivated by the dramatic set design and multiple playing areas by Destiny Manewal. It is complemented throughout by the rich lighting design by Danny Jackson, and Kimberly DeShozo’s authentic costumes.

Director Marya Mazor’s muscular staging allows all of this to highlight the actors and their performances. This was a short 3 1/2-week rehearsal period.

Nandini Minocha is especially commanding as the grandmother Aditi Doshi. This is especially impressive since Minocha replaced a previous actor and only had 2 1/2 weeks rehearsal in this very demanding role.

Nandini Minocha, Ansuya Nathan, Jon Joseph Gentry and Timylle Adams. (Photo by Jordan Gohara)

I’ve seen Jon Gentry on a number of LA stages. As the father, Charlie Byrd, he is a highlight of the performance. Gentry has a BA from Harvard and an MFA from the American Conservatory Theatre. He recently took four years off from acting because he was feeling stagnation as an actor. His roles weren’t fulfilling. He’s back and focused. It is Charlie that is the bridge between the other three.

Gentry says, “What drew me to the role was that it crosses cultural lines. Blackness is not monolithic. It is very diverse. You don’t see that reflected in the mainstream.”

Timylle Adams as the granddaughter, Tina Byrd, brings youthful enthusiasm to her role. When the grandmother bonds with her granddaughter, Tina finds both parts of herself.

Ansuya Nathan as the mother, Nisha Byrd, trained at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Australia, and has performed in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the United States. She has perhaps the most difficult role, demonstrating that acting is reacting.

And there is a powerful theme expressed by the grandmother as she prepares to return to India.

“The soul, it does not live, it does not die. It will always be with you.”’

International City Theatre’s “Masala Dabba” will perform at the Beverly O’Neill Theater, 330 East Seaside Way, on weekends from Aug. 29 to Sept. 14, For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-436-4610 or visit ICTLongBeach.org.