by Joanne Engelhardt

A slick, modernistic set greets theatergoers at the start of Los Altos Stage Company’s production of “Yoga Play” by Dipika Guha.

But that’s not the only thing that is modernistic about this production.  As directed by LASC’s Executive Artistic Director Gary Landis, “Yoga Play” has stunning visuals and dialogue that sometimes moves at the speed of light.

It’s also a barrel of laughs.

“Yoga Play” is a zinging satire of both the yoga consumerism trend as well as the global economy’s devotion to branding.

The play verges on screwball comedy, but along the way the Calcutta-born Guha explores, in a more serious vein, Raj’s tentative relationship to his own heritage as a South Asian American who lives in Delaware.

COO, Raj (Kartic Bhargav) and Strategic Assistant Fred (Joshua Bao) report to their new CEO, Joan (Kristin Walter), so they’re doing their best to listen to her ideas and enthusiastically endorse them (even if they think some are a bit off-kilter).

High-strung Joan seems to dislike taking phone calls, especially those from the office receptionist. Occasionally she simply hangs up on her halfway through what she’s saying and once she loudly throws her cell phone on the floor!

Joan is determined to convince everyone at her new company, Jojomon, which makes stretchable yoga pants and other yoga clothing, to add Size 12 to its offerings. While speaking with the Board Chairman John (Chris Mahle) who is talking with her over an excessively impressive large-screen television, she points out that not all women can fit into Jojomon’s usual yoga offerings of size 2 through 10.

Joan says she agrees with the chairman that Jojomon’s clothing is stretchable, but not that stretchable.  She makes a convincing argument that adding size 12 clothing will generate $60 million more in sales in the first quarter alone.

The chairman agrees and then announces that he’s turning off his phone and email for four weeks and won’t be accessible to anyone.

Suddenly Jojomon, which contracted with Lotus Limited in Dhaka, Bangladesh, is in deep trouble. The BBC investigated Lotus Ltd. and found that 60% of its workers in Dhaka are underage girls.

The company’s stock sinks as this news hits Twitter. Almost immediately Jojomon gets more than 15,000 emails condemning their use of child labor.

Recognizing the company has a huge authenticity problem, Joan says they need to find a guru who can talk in a press conference about how Jojomon clothing is perfect for doing yoga.

Where to find a guru?  Joan and her cohorts agree the best place to find one is high up in the mountains of India. They locate one who tells them he’s been living in a cave for several years. He seems so authentic, both in his Indian dialect and in his calming words, that they send him a one-way ticket to LA.  He reminds them that change takes time, but Joan says their transformation needs to be quick.

All of that occurs in Act 1.  What happens in Act 2 is for theatergoers to find out themselves.  Suffice to say that things don’t go as planned, and there are tons of laughs along the way.

There are a few curiosities about this production.  For one, the three JoJomon executives are all dressed casually. No business suits for the men, and just slacks and sweaters for the CEO.  As the CEO, Kristin Walter’s hair is a hot mess.  That just seems unbecoming.

One other nit: Because of the Indian and Chinese accents of Raj and Fred, it’s sometimes difficult to understand their words, especially because they often speak quickly.

Yoga Play runs Through February 15, 2026 at Bus Barn Theater in Los Altos. 

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Rating: *** (For an explanation of TheatreStorm’s rating system, click here.)
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“Yoga Play” by Dipika Guha. Director: Gary Landis. Scenic Design: Camryn Lang. Costume Design: Lisa Rozman. Sound: Gary Landis, Rebecca Voss. Lighting: Aya Matsutomo. Production Manager: Rebecca Voss. Dialect Coach: Kimily Conkle. Scenic Builders: Bryan Hornbeck, Gary Landis, Jack Landis. Scenic Painter: Greet Jaspaert. Stage Manager: Miranda Whipple. 

Cast 

Joan: Kristin Walter. Raj: Kartic Bhargav. Fred: Joshua Bao. John Dale and others: Chris Mahle. Romola and others: Jaime Melendez. Voice of Mrs. Kapoor: Ranjita Chakravarty. Voice of Mr. Kapoor: Mukund Marathe.