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World’s End

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 29th August 2019

★★★★

“throwaway lines elevate an ambitious script, and wittily display Corley’s talents as a playwright”

How much has really changed in twenty years? This extraordinary new play by James Corley takes audiences on a nineties nostalgia trip to remember. As his first full length play, ‘World’s End’ is nothing short of breath-taking, introducing a wonderful foursome of characters all trying to figure out their place in the world of late-nineties London.

Single mum Viv (Patricia Potter) has moved with 19-year old son Ben (Tom Milligan) from Norfolk to Chelsea to start a new life in London. At the World’s End estate, they move in next to the Kosovar Albanian family, Ylli (Nikolaos Brahimllari) and his son Besnik (Mirlind Bega). As Viv finds a new job (and a new man), and Ylli gets more and more involved with the Kosovo War, their respective sons bond over Nintendo video games, and fall in love. It’s only when Viv decides to move in with her new boyfriend that things spiral out of control, as Ben settles into his independence and falls victim to a terrible act of violence.

It all seems so familiar. Foreign nations fighting for autonomy, insurgent armies, refugees escaping conflict, and targeted attacks on minorities. Against this backdrop, Corley reminds us of a time not so long ago where you couldn’t make a call if the internet was on and neighbourhood communities meant something more than just muffled sounds coming through the wall. His hopeful script is tender, funny, and beautiful. Playing ‘Legend of Zelda’, Besnik asks if Link can have sex in Hyrule town. “We can fish?” is Ben’s awkward, terse response. Thinking about moving, Viv looks around her soon-to-be old flat: “Bit like going to the hairdressers, isn’t it; always looks best before it’s cut”. These throwaway lines elevate an ambitious script, and wittily display Corley’s talents as a playwright. My only gripe is Ylli and his slightly muddled patriotic pride. An intriguing character, his story never quite gets the attention it is probably needs to be convincing.

As a Zelda fan, I loved the references to ‘Ocarina of Time’, and Harry Linden Johnson’s sound subtly introduces Zelda themes to underscore the main love story. The cast, directed by Harry Mackrill, give convincing performances. Patricia Potter is an utter delight, effortlessly embodying the stresses of single motherhood and blending it with Chelsea charm. Tom Milligan, playing an awkward and stuttering Ben, gives a grounded performance that keeps you rooting for the main lovers. Mackrill does well with a small space, and his actors seem cool and confident throughout.

I usually never think plays should be as long as they often are. ‘World’s End’ however is one of the few exceptions where it ended too soon. Such interesting characters deserve a bit more space and time to develop, especially with the more political subplots, and although the ending is hopeful, it feels like too little too soon. I would love to see this transfer, as many plays from the King’s Head Theatre do, and for the team to use that as an opportunity to expand the scope of Corley’s script. In its current form though, this is still a real treat of a production, and one not to be missed. Powerful, courageous, and full of wisdom, Princess Zelda would be proud.

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Bettina Adela

World’s End

King’s Head Theatre until 21st September

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Awkward Conversations With Animals … | ★★★★ | April 2019

HMS Pinafore | ★★★★ | April 2019

Coral Browne: This F***Ing Lady! | ★★ | May 2019

This Island’s Mine | ★★★★★ | May 2019

Margot, Dame, The Most Famous Ballerina In The World | ★★★ | July 2019

Mating In Captivity | ★★★★ | July 2019

How We Begin | ★★★★ | August 2019

Click here to see our most recent reviews

★★★★

“provocative, creative, and a joy to watch”

It’s not easy to tell an important story, especially when everyone else wants to tell it for you.

Nyla Levy was tired of playing the “Jihadi Bride” in projects that neither knew nor cared about the experiences of such women. In Does My Bomb Look Big in This? she not only reclaims that narrative, but revamps it entirely. About five minutes into Aisha’s explanation of why her best friend Yasmin ended up in Syria, Yasmin herself storms onstage and demands to be involved. ‘This is my story,’ she complains, ‘and you’re telling it boringly.’ The cast take note, and the ninety minutes that follows is an effortlessly funny, affecting, and self-aware piece of theatre.

The friendship between the two girls is the core of this story. Halema Hussain (Aisha) and Nyla Levy (Yasmin) share a strong chemistry that makes their innate understanding of each other feel completely natural. It is this bond that facilitates the eloquent discussions of religious, racial, and political identity that permeate the play. Levy does not demonise or judge the girls for their actions; both performers invite empathy and understanding. The fact that they perform in front of their school lockers is a reminder of how out of their depth they truly are.

But the best moments are those in which both the script and the actors are aware of the fact that this is a performance. The highlight was when Actor Three (enlisted to play all the white characters – brilliantly portrayed by Eleanor Williams) breaks out of character to express her disappointment that ‘every character I play is so one dimensional’. What starts as a parody of white privilege ends with Actor Three being ordered, by Yasmin, to wear a hijab and play the role of Yasmin’s mum. This provocative decision not only forces Actor Three to confront her ignorant sense of entitlement, but forces white audience members to do the same. Once again, Levy makes us aware of how little these stories belong to us and – for all our apparent wokeness – how minimal our understanding of British Asian experience is.

When staff at the Soho Theatre announced that the house was open for this show, the ‘edgy’ title seemed to shock some of those around me. The apparent surprise that such a show exists reinforces the importance of Does My Bomb Look Big in This? – which, for the record, I wouldn’t call ‘edgy’; that would imply a lack of substance. I would call it provocative, creative, and a joy to watch.

Reviewed by Harriet Corke

Photography by Bettina Adela

King’s Head Theatre

Reviewed – 29th August 2019

★★★★

“throwaway lines elevate an ambitious script, and wittily display Corley’s talents as a playwright”

Reviewed by Joseph Prestwich

Photography by Bettina Adela

World’s End

King’s Head Theatre until 21st September

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

Soho Theatre

Reviewed – 22nd May 2019

★★★★

“provocative, creative, and a joy to watch”

It’s not easy to tell an important story, especially when everyone else wants to tell it for you.

Reviewed by Harriet Corke

Photography by Bettina Adela

Does my Bomb Look Big in This?

Soho Theatre until 8th June

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue: