Review: ‘Yoga Play’ at SLAC has a strong core; doesn’t offer much enlightenment

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, April 19, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Yoga is a big-business industry here in the U.S. Some 36 million people regularly practice the more than 5,000-year-old Northern Indian discipline, the number of people doing it has grown by over 50% over the past four years and interestingly, 72% of yoga practitioners are women. In addition, the research from health-and-wellness brand The Good Body shows that Americans spend $16 billion on yoga classes and equipment each year.

That's the dichotomy that "Yoga Play" by Dipika Guha explores: an industry that claims to value your physical and spiritual health when its purpose is to get you to buy more stuff. This Utah premiere is running at Salt Lake Acting Company through May 7, directed by Penelope Caywood.

The play tells the story of Joan (Jeanette Puhich) who has been hired to stabilize Jojomon, an athleisure giant, after its CEO has been brought down by a fat-shaming scandal. The company name's similarity to LuluLemon is no coincidence; in 2013, that company's billionaire founder stepped down as chairman after his comments that the brand's infamous stretchy pants "just don't actually work" for some women's bodies. In the play, as a scandal overseas at the company's clothing factory (again, Google Lululemon) sends reverberations through the company's headquarters and sales plummet, Joan comes up with a plan so risky it could make or break the company and her career. And what the plan requires from Raj, her CFO, goes beyond the call of duty. The comedy asks what it takes to find your own authenticity in a world that is determined to sell enlightenment.

The show was commissioned and first produced at South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa, California, in 2017.

For me, the main sticking point with the script was that Guha didn't seem to know quite what it she wanted it to be. The piece takes a little while to get going, beginning with a scene that is heavy on the exposition and continuing with a lot of set-up and a smattering of humor. The second act is definitely brisker and funnier. The most enjoyable scenes, for me, were the ones that mined the natural comedy that exists in the oh-so-earnest corporate environment and the world of yoga. The performance of Jennica Anusua, playing Romola and ensemble parts, is an example of the humor working well, I felt. She mines the natural funniness of her self-absorbed, celebrity-obsessed yoga instructor, but doesn't appear to be playing for laughs. Same with Joe Crnich, also playing multiple roles.

Puhich, along with Abhiijth Harikumar as Raj, and Archelaus Crisanto as Fred, another Jojomon employee, are faced with more of a challenge, because Guha also chooses to ladle into the script various serious themes that are skated over but not really explored. There's cultural appropriation, fat shaming, the role of women in the cut-throat workplace, gay rights in Singapore… the list goes on. Then there are themes that I would have liked to see expanded, for example Raj's hesitant relationship with his own heritage. The three actors are strong and are perfectly adept in hitting both the comic and somber moments, but they might have had an easier job if Guha had gone deeper on some topics and shed others. And there may have been more genuine humor to be mined if Guha had dug more into who these characters are and their natural comic quirks.

The production values, as always at SLAC, are lovely. The set by Gage Williams depicts Jojomon's very chi-chi headquarters, complete with a large illuminated Jojomon logo, exercise balls to sit on, a well-stocked kitchen complete with a little "family" sign, Joan's desk in the center of the stage, and various comfy coaches and chairs. There is also an oversize computer screen that various characters appear on as if on Skype calls, depicted by actual actors, which is a clever touch. The lighting by Matthew Taylor is also a standout; the Jojomon logo pulses in various warm colors, as do the lights behind Joan's desk. The sound design by Jennifer Jackson is unobtrusive and the costumes by La Beene are understated but both work well.

In all, "Yoga Play" was a pleasant afternoon at the theater, but I left feeling a bit like I’d missed the point somehow. The direction, design and acting were all strong but the play itself didn't quite land for me.

"Yoga Play" goes through May 7 with shows on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. with a Saturday matinee at 2 p.m. and Sunday shows at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Salt Lake Acting Company at 168 W. 500 South. There is also a show on Tuesday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets and more information click here or call the SLAC box office at 801-363-7522.