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

RE : Jessi

Review by: Paul Towers, 25/9/19

RE : Jessi by  Jessi Wilson

Upstairs @ The Western, 25 September 2019

“should old wounds be reopened?”

Like most men I have little idea what goes on inside the emotional heart of the average woman. RE : Jessi is, I suppose, trying to go some way to educate us mere males. 

With just a sofa, a table and a small desk Jessi Wilson pulls numbers out of a hat, each number pertaining to one of the 37 sexual conquests she has had over the last 15 years.  This is not a litany of sexual adventures, more a randomly ordered set of emotional forays; some no more than one night stands, others long standing affairs. Some encounters warrant no more than a single line, others have involved back stories.

Along the way we find funny moments, poignant tales and downright anger inducing misogyny.

Jessi wrote this show by contacting all 37 of her past ‘lovers’ and asking them for their memories. Some didn’t even reply, hence the one line descriptions of their involvement.

This is very much a woman’s emotional journey and feels like someone sitting down with her best friend and a bottle of Prosecco to put her love life to rights.

Jessi Wilson has that warm Dawn French feel about her.

The entire evening (all 1 hour 40 minutes of it) was a series of little portraits of emotion referring to each of the 37. The end was Jessi reflecting on whether all this stirring up of sleeping dogs was worth the emotional pain; should old wounds be reopened?

Upstairs at The Western http://upstairsatthewestern.com/
First published on Western Gazette

War Horse

Review by: Paul Towers, 18/9/19

War Horse by Nick Stafford based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo

A National Theatre production

Curve 18 Sept to 12 October

“an astonishing production ... emotionally draining.”

Rarely have I come out of a theatre feeling so emotionally drained as I stumbled out of Curve tonight from War Horse, the story of Joey and Albert,  horse and owner inextricably linked by The Great War of 1914-18.

The opening vision of the foal, the infant Joey, stumbling around on his too long legs lulls you into a false sense of security and does not prepare you for the horrors that horse and owner go through. All too soon foal Joey fades into the shadows to be replaced by, looming out of Curve’s dark cavernous stage, the awesome sight of full grown Joey, a thoroughbred racehorse with a mind of his own. Permanently bonded to Albert, William Ilkley, the illiterate son of a Devon farmer, they are torn apart when Joey is sold by Albert’s father for the princely sum of £100 and sent away to France to become cannon fodder for the cavalry.

All this would be emotional enough until you actually see the extraordinary puppets that are the horses. Some, like Joey and his buddy Topthorn, have very complicated articulation and are operated by three operators. Others are less complicated and have fewer manipulators. Oh, and then there is the goose, much needed light relief, guided by a single guy, Jonathan Cobb.

Because the various puppeteers work on a rota to prevent RSI I can’t say which ones were on tonight but, whoever they were they were magnificent at characterising the horses’ various moods.

The whole story was nicely moved along by a narrator, Ben Murray, who sang original folk songs written for the play.

The puppets (although it does them a huge disservice to call them mere puppets) are remarkable in their versatility and ability to convey emotions. Curve’s huge main stage gives them the room they need to gallop around and rear up. At one point there is a huge cannon and even a WW1 tank rumbling out of the wings. Slung across the top of the stage is a banner reminiscent of the top of a page ripped out of a notepad onto which is projected a series of still sketches and animations telling us the timeline of the various events. This ties in with the similarly torn piece of paper that Albert carries through the war with a sketch of his beloved Joey.

To further cement the period in our minds the horrors of war are all too vividly recreated in sound and music by designer Christopher Shutt. Lighting design by Paule Constable adds further atmosphere and effect to the horrific slaughter on the stage.

Directed by Marianne Elliot and Tom Morris this is an astonishing production of a story that many said was un-stageable.

War Horse is at Curve until 12 October and tickets are still available and I defy you to walk out with dry eyes and without a lump in your throat.

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