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'Rafta Rafta' delivers

By Matt Windman

5:30 PM EDT, May 29, 2008

In "Rafta, Rafta", a young man, Manish Dayal, right, brings his bride, Reshma Shetty, left, home to live with his family. Because of the family's interruptions, distractions and interferences, he is unable to consummate the marriage. The play by Ayub Khan-Din won the Olivier Award for best comedy of 2007 (Newsday/Ari Mintz)

"Rafta, Rafta," which is Hindi for "slowly, slowly," is the title of both a Bollywood film song and this new sitcom-style comedy about a pair of working-class Indian families in suburban England. It has the same plot as the 1963 comedy "All in Good Time," except that here the characters are South-Asian instead of Caucasian.

The farce begins immediately following the traditional Indian wedding of Atul and Vina, who are now moving into Atul's bedroom in his parents' home. In the first scene, Atul loses to his father in an arm-wrestling match, demasculinating and humiliating him in front of his extended family and new wife.

The home's thin walls and unlocked doors further limit the couple's privacy, leading to Atul's sudden inability to perform sexually on his wedding night. When the problem continues for six more weeks, it threatens the stability of the couple's marriage. Once Vina runs home crying due to these marital difficulties, her parents are forced to take upon themselves the extremely uncomfortable task of confronting Atul's parents about their son's problem.

So, what's the significance of the title? Our guess is that it refers to how long it takes for any two people to truly grow comfortable with each other. In addition to the plight of the play's young virgins, Ayub Khan-Din's play also looks at the dysfunctions of several older couples who are still facing marital difficulties.

"Rafta, Rafta" marks yet another chance for the New Group to present a recent West End hit. Scott Elliott, who has a sharply mixed record of success as a director, succeeds in bringing out the play's charm and light humor with an appealing ensemble cast.

Isn't it ironic that "Rafta, Rafta," a farce on marriage, is playing only a few blocks away from "Boeing Boeing," a farce on bachelorhood, which also has a title made up of two successive words?

Theater Row, 410 West 42nd St, 212-279-4200, $56.25. Mon 8pm, Tues 7pm, Wed-Fri 8pm, Sat 2 & 8pm. Thru June 7.