EAST IS EAST: till 31 May
Newcastle Under Lyme
EAST IS EAST: Ayub Khan-Din
New Vic Theatre, Newcastle Under Lyme: Box office 01782 717962
Runs: 2hrs 10m: 20 minute interval: until 31 May 2003
Review: Ranjit Khutan: 9 May 2003
The film is funny: this if funnier. And it makes you think – it still strikes home.
The film is funny but the play is better, as evidenced by the howls of laughter from the audience at the outset.
The cast tease and tantalise us with humorous one-liners creating an enjoyable and well-balanced performance. Shane Zaza is hilarious in his portrayal of Sajit Khan – the youngest child, who hides in the overgrown Parka to block out his surroundings. Veejay Kaur's Meenah Khan is brash: the strong language that litters her repertoire is delivered with a childlike ease. And it doesn't shock nor annoy, it receives hoots of laughter from the crowd.
The fun and frivolity in the scenes and our reactions to them become uncomfortable as the play moves on. We realise that the children are hard and streetwise - blocking out the confusion that surrounds them as mixed race children living in late 60s Britain. Their guards are up high, be that by hiding in the folds of a Parka, laughing with white mates about 'Paki' jokes, swearing and showing no support for siblings, or by retreating into religion and rejecting their host society. Indeed, when Maneer tells Tariq 'you're just the half-caste that your mates laugh at… laughing at your own type' - I thought twice about laughing so hard from that point on.
The stage is divided into a number of areas – the kitchen, the living room, the coal shed, and the fish and chip shop. At first glance it’s a little busy but the distinctions between each area are made very clear through the use of light and Natalie Wilson's use of the space. At times she uses the space as a whole, allowing action to occur in more than one place: she encourages the play to draw on the depth and intricacies that Ayub Khan-Din creates in this slick script that often shoots from the hip.
The humour of the play is set well against the troubles in Pakistan and India. Khan-Din develops this analogy of Pakistan losing a battle and sets it against the father losing his own battle for control of his family. Marc Anwar's George is a tyrant; at times he physically lashes out and at other times through words wanting his family to 'listen to me' – which really translates into 'do as I say'. Through the use of subtle looks and energetic outbursts Anwar's George becomes three-dimensional.
There are excellent scenes between Mary–Ann Coburn and Susan Twist, who play the two sisters upholding the northern tradition of fighting for family honour. They see the inequalities and the alienating attitudes and comments of people around them – and treat this with a matter of fact-ness, dealing with issues as they arise. This comes to the fore in one scene when Ella Khan comments to the doctor that "people are a lot quicker to point the finger when you're foreign." Susan Twist is excellent in her portrayal of Ella Khan, funny, quick witted and energy oozing from her that leaves you feeling her frustrations.
The play covers a lot of issues – such as integration within communities, arranged marriage and duality of culture – issues that young Asians still experience today. The play maintains its freshness and its relevance.
George Khan: Marc Anwar
Auntie Annie: Mary-Ann Coburn
Saleem Khan: Abhin Galeya
Abdul Khan: Sartaj Garewal
Meenah Khan: Veejay Kaur
Mr Shah & Doctor: Simon Nagra
Tariq Khan: Avin Shah
Maneer Khan: Gurpreet Singh
Ella Khan: Susan Twist
Sajit Khan: Shane Zaza
Director: Natalie Wilson
Designer: Michael Holt
Lighting Designer: James Farncombe
Sound Designer: James Earl-Davis
Voice Coach: Mark Langley
Fight Director: Terry King
2003-05-12 19:52:24