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Multitudes
Tricycle Theatre
Reviewed on
★★★
In a world of UKIP and media bombardment of the
'Muslim threat', Multitudes comes at the perfect time to make comment, but I am
not sure what that comment is meant to be.
John Hollingworth's debut full length play
focuses on a fictional Conservative Party conference held in Labour dominant
Bradford, in what seems to be the not too distant future. Kash, a liberal
British Muslim prepares his address to politicians on the state of the nation
as his angst-filled teenage daughter Qadira plans a radical intervention,
culminating in the inevitable second act scene of disastrous consequences. The
centring on one family, which also includes a recent Islamic convert girlfriend
and her outspoken Nigel Farrage-esque, flag waving mother, is a clever device
to focus an enormous subject into a relatable language.
Navin Chowdhry's Nash, does well in the role of
the desperate politician and neglectful partner but really shines in the final few
scenes where we get to see the real vulnerability of a man torn between two
worlds. The two star turns of the play come from Jacqueline King and Asif Khan.
King's middle class, crazed conservative Lyn, provides some of the comical
highlights with lines such as “While we're watching Saturday Kitchen Live and
getting our bits from M&S and indulging down the gastropub there's an army
of people - shunning our lifestyle", whilst turning a mirror onto the very
scary reality of UKIP in Britain, but it is Khan's completely useless but
lovable Imtiaz who steals the show.
Indhu Rubasingham's slick directing keeps the
pace of the piece whizzing along, allowing only to slow down in order to create
moments of carefully selected silence. Richard Kent's stylish yet simple design
works perfectly, moving from location to location without ever feeling
repetitive or clunky.
Throughout the play there are conversations and
arguments about the West's views of the Middle East, but it often seems a
little one sided and pretty repetitive. With a subject as complex and rich as
this it often feels like Hollingworth is treading lightly instead of getting into
the real nitty gritty of the subject matter. That said, he provides enough to
start a conversation and puts it across in a very entertaining manner.
There is no doubt that this is a writer to keep
an eye on and although Multitudes is flawed as a play, it still has a lot to
say and provides a thoughtful and entertaining evening.
By Harry Richards
Multitudes runs at the Tricycle Theatre until Saturday 21st March 2015.
Please visit www.tricycle.co.uk for further information and tickets.
Photo Credit: Mark Douet
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