THE BATTLE OF GREEN LANES. To 13 November.

London

THE BATTLE OF GREEN LANES
by Cosh Omar

Theatre Royal Stratford East To 13 November 2004
Tue-Sat 7.45pm no performance 4 Nov
Audio-described/BSL Signed 27 Oct
Runs 2hr 20min One interval

TICKETS: 020 8534 0310
www.stratfordeast.com
Review: Timothy Ramsden 20 October

Raw and brutally relevant without a shot fired and barely a blow struck.East 15's new artistic director Kerry Michael opens with a play determinedly confronting fissures between London's Turkish and Greek communities taking in Nationalism, Islam, homophobia and treatment of women on the way.

In his family's Wood Green Turkish-Cypriot Café, Erol (author Cosh Omar) meets friends, argues with family and gets in trouble with Greek friend Cos over his friendship with the Greek's sister. While the young men enjoy life, apart from the odd offstage fracas with white racists, the older generation try their hand at capitalism or, in Anastasia's case, keep to traditional rituals.

But Erol's becoming interested in Islam. Omar gives the Muslims some powerful set speeches showing the certainty and burr-like persistence religious certainty can produce. The clash between religious purpose and secular hedonism is well-drawn, the dark and light of both being evident. A poster of Kemal Ataturk becomes a debating-point between those believing he was Turkey's hero and those accusing him of betraying Islam.

Omar's speeches proclaiming Islam are forcefully written and delivered. They explore a determined view of the world convincingly without becoming propaganda. According to taste, Erol's journey towards Islam is salvation or seduction.

Omar vividly presents views that can co-exist or clash within a few streets. Which is not the same as writing a good play. This is a script where people exist only to discuss the issues in the playwright's consciousness. Perhaps their constant arguing is why the café never has any evidence of customers, only Erol's associates who take drinks for free. A few bits of streetwise joking apart, there's no independent life to these people. Arguments keep coming round I stopped counting how many times Ataturk's poster became a cause of dispute. Pretty much the same dispute most times.

But if there's little depth, the surface canvas is spread out clear and broad. And we're used to suffering inadequate dramaturgy in the name of politics from plenty of other quarters. Only, both playwright and theatre will have more to offer if they can go beyond the headline arguments and show people as much as viewpoints.

Abdullah: Nicholas Beveney
Remzi: George Savvides
Engin Eniste: Jonathan Coyne
Erol: Cosh Omar
Tom: George Georgiou
Babs: Andy Francesco
Chris: Hambi Pappas
Cos: Paul Mela
Anastasia: Anna Savva
Maria: Elena Pavli
Kysar: Rez Kempton

Director: Kerry Micgael
Designer: Yannis Thavoris
Lighting: Chris Davey
Sound: Gareth Owen

2004-10-22 02:00:18