A PLAY inspired by the British Asian drag queen community comes to Southampton next week.

The new Rifco play created in consultation with LGBTQ community, arrives at Nuffield Southampton Theatres from June 6 – 10. Behind the sparkling costumes and big Bollywood style lip-sync dance numbers Miss Meena & the Masala Queens reveals a very human story about the meaning of family.

Written by Harvey Virdi, best known for her acting in BBC TV’s Citizen Khan, The Kumars and Sky TV’s Lucky Man, the play tells the story of Miss Meena, a once famous and fabulous drag queen, who has lost his sparkle and like his nightclub is now washed up and out of date. The punters have gone and property developers are circling like vultures waiting for Miss Meena to give up the lease to the club.

Raj Ghatak ( Everybody's Talking About Jamie, Sheffield Crucible & BBC TV’s Taboo) plays Miss Meena along with Ali Ariaie as Kabir (Ranjeet), Harvey Dhadda (Preetho), Nicholas Prasad (Shaan), Vedi Roy (Pinky) and Jamie Zubairi as Munni.

Harvey Virdi has worked on a number of Rifco productions as a writer and performer. Writing credits include Meri Christmas and Happy Birthday Sunita. Theatre acting credits include There’s Something About Simmy, Meri Christmas, The Deranged Marriage and Airport 2000.

Artistic Director of Rifco Pravesh Kumar directs. He started the company in 1999 to make a different kind of theatre for a community that could not see themselves represented on English stages. He has gone on to achieve critical acclaim for Rifco’s award-winning productions: Laila The Musical, Britain’s Got Bhangra, Happy Birthday Sunita, It Ain’t All Bollywood, There’s Something About Simmy, Airport 2000, Meri Christmas, Where’s My Desi Soulmate? The Deranged Marriage and Break The Floorboards.

Before setting up Rifco, Kumar worked extensively in Mumbai’s film and television industry, as an assistant director and writer.

Tickets are available from the Box Office 023 8067 1771 or online at nstheatres.co.uk

Suitable for ages 14+