My beautiful laundrette

Review by: Paul Towers, 26/9/19

My Beautifully Laundrette by Hanif Kureishi

A Curve, Belgrade Theatre Coventry, Everyman Theatre Cheltenham & Leeds Playhouse co-production

Curve 20 Sept – 5 Oct then touring

“a pacey, unapologetically subversive snapshot of 1980’s London”

When My Beautiful Laundrette was released on film in 1986 it was regarded as quite controversial with its themes of racism, inter racial relationships and especially gay ones. It was probably only that the lead was Daniel Day Lewis that it got a mainstream release.

Now, 33 years later, original author Hanif Kureishi has adapted it for the stage. Remarkably many of the original issues are incredibly relevant still. Immigration, right wing thugs and racist tensions still abound.

My Beautiful Laundrette is essentially a love story between Jonny (Jonny Fines) a National Front hooligan and his old school friend Omar (Omar Malik), a British born Pakistani struggling to find his place in multi cultural 1980’s South London. Tensions abound with NF trouble stirrers attacking non-whites and immigrants trying to adjust to Western cultural differences and using any means possible to succeed in business.

Author Hanif Kureishi, a mixed race Pakistani himself, doesn’t shy away from the problems of the sometimes cruelly patriarchal society of Omar’s homeland while devoting equal time to the right wing problems of Thatcher’s Britain.

While there are the expected tender moments between Jonny and Omar they are in no way gratuitous. There are some quite vicious interactions between Salim (Hareet Deol in a suitably evil looking beard) and Jonny and Genghis (Paddy Daly).

With beautiful synchronicity Omar’s father, Papa, is played by Gordon Warnecke, the original Omar in the film. Nassar, Omar’s munificent Uncle is played by Kammy Darweish. Cathy Tyson returns to Leicester to play Salim’s wife and Nassar’s mistress.

The flashy, very 1980’s set is designed by Grace Smart  who took inspiration from Top Of The Pops, with lighting by Ben Cracknell. Add into the mix a soundtrack by The Pet Shop Boys and director Nikolai Foster has created a pacey, unapologetically subversive snapshot of 1980’s London.

My Beautiful Laundrette is at Curve until 5 October and then touring

Curve https://www.curveonline.co.uk
First published on Western Gazette