Habib Nasib Nader Archives - thespyinthestalls.com

★★★

“what could be a gripping, nail-biting production is brought away from the cliff edge by the proclamatory style of the writing”

Malorie Blackman’s series of novels, headlined by the opener “Noughts and Crosses”, describes an alternative, present-day reality in which the controversial subject of racial power is turned on its head. The premise is explored through a tale of forbidden love in the vein of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. The two teenage protagonists are from opposite sides of the social divide in Blackman’s young adult fiction. The target audience is apparent in Dominic Cooke’s stage adaptation which has gone straight for the bull’s eye; and therein lies both its strengths and its weaknesses.

Society is divided into the subservient Noughts – the white underclass; and the Crosses – the privileged black people who hold the power. Like the novel, the story is told through the eyes of Sephy (Corinna Brown) and Callum (Noah Valentine). When their innocent childhood friendship grows into a blossoming romance it drifts into dangerous territory – Sephy is a Cross while Callum is a Nought. Furthermore, Sephy’s father is running for Prime Minister while Callum’s father, and elder brother, are embroiled in freedom fighting, plotting terrorist attacks under the banner of the Liberation Militia.

Directed by Tinuke Craig, the storytelling is exceptionally clear – with Brown and Valentine intermittently speaking out to the audience, pointing out major plot turns with their slightly false-sounding street patois. When not involved in the scene, the entire cast watch from the sidelines; silently observing, and judging, ready to jump in if needed to either calm or exacerbate the situation. Colin Richmond’s harsh metallic, multi-layered set gives the gritty backdrop required for this urban fable, although a touch incongruous against the lush greenery of Regent’s Park which it ignores rather than tries to incorporate. Max Pappenheim’s powerful sound design provides the tension and menace, aided and abetted by Joshua Pharo’s lighting. Nevertheless, what could be a gripping, nail-biting production is brought away from the cliff edge by the proclamatory style of the writing. Often too simplistic, the issues come across as overly black and white (pun intended).

Despite the lack of nuance, Brown and Valentine give persuasive performances, pitching well the impulsiveness and impetuosity of star-crossed lovers. Even if you don’t know the outcome, you get the sense of impending tragedy. Alec Boaden, as Callum’s brother Jude, is thuggish and menacing, while Richard Riddell as their father wraps his iron fist in a protective glove which, while allowing some sympathy, doesn’t condone the family’s violent drive for insurrection. Meanwhile, Sephy’s parents are portrayed more simplistically, leaning into caricature.

There is limited emotional engagement, even though it is very watchable with some great flourishes of style. Cooke has managed to keep it relevant and up to date while throwing in some subtle parallels with Shakespeare. A pseudo balcony scene is neatly hemmed in, and touches of comedy provide much needed comic relief. Even, in the bard’s true fashion, the climax seems rushed with seemingly last-minute knots being tied up. The message remains unresolved, but the ideas that pave the way are a dynamic and potent series of stepping stones. The journey is made less perilous, though, by the overstated delivery. It is the perfect show, however, to draw in a new, younger audience and it is certainly a triumph in demonstrating the raw power and necessity of theatre.

Life of Pi

Wyndham’s Theatre

Reviewed – 29th November 2021

★★★★★

“This is theatre at its most hallucinatory and wonderful, yet fundamentally simplistic; created by a collective vision that you forget is there.”

“Which story do you prefer?” asks Piscine “Pi” Patel of the two Japanese officials investigating the shipwreck from which he is the only survivor. We are approaching the end of this fantastical tale and it is a beautifully pertinent and intentional moment. It is a much more satisfying question rather than “which story they think is the true one”. ‘Life is a story’ and ‘You can choose your story’ are just two of the themes that wash up from the cruel sea of allegories that “Life of Pi” presents. Choosing what you believe and, in turn, controlling those beliefs is as treacherous as taming a Bengal tiger.

Transferring from Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre (delayed by the pandemic), Max Webster’s production, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti from Yann Martel’s novel, has predictably been hailed the new “War Horse”. Yet it is a different beast entirely. As intricate and astonishing as the puppetry is, the magic is also created from the enthralling central performances and the jaw-dropping stage craft. Under Webster’s sabre-sharp direction, the entire team of designers and cast capture the imagination, not just of the author, but of the audience too. It melds them into one of the same, both feeding off each other. It is an almost miraculous feat that is achieved, not from high tech wizardry, but from sheer inventiveness and trust in the human mind.

While Finn Caldwell’s and Nick Barnes’ puppetry breathe life into the wild creatures that pace the stage, Hiran Abeysekera’s central performance as ‘Pi’ is the life-force that pulses through the piece. Abeysekera pulls us into his worlds; his childhood at his father’s zoo, the hospital recovery ward, and onto his lifeboat. We willingly share his perils as he survives over seven months adrift on the Pacific Ocean. Originally accompanied by a hyena, zebra, orangutan and Bengal tiger, he is eventually alone with just the tiger. ‘Pi’ survives in part by acting upon profound philosophical questions that come to him like ghosts; and by pulling shreds of advice from his memory. “Use everything you have and defy the odds”. This latter truism can definitely be applied to the design of the piece in which the minds of Tim Hatley (set), Tim Lutkin (lighting) and Andrzej Goulding (video) have merged to conjure a breath-taking backdrop to the tale. There is a spell-binding moment when ‘Pi’ leaps off his boat into the ocean, vanishing in front of our eyes only to reappear elsewhere from the waves. No high-tech wizardry. Just inventive trickery.

This is theatre at its most hallucinatory and wonderful, yet fundamentally simplistic; created by a collective vision that you forget is there. In the same way, we are aware that the puppets – most noticeably the tiger – are being controlled by four different puppeteers, yet we don’t see them in our minds. What we see is the personality of a sentient creature vividly conjured by the language of its movement. The beast becomes human.

‘Pi’ tells us more than one story. We have his story with animals – fantastical, spiritual and dreamlike. And we have the harsh, scientific realism. “Which story do you prefer?” Pi asks, while provoking our silent answer with “You want a story to confirm what you already know”. This production challenges what we might already know about theatre but also, without a shadow of a doubt, reinforces our belief in the power of theatre. Long after you leave the auditorium, you will be bound by its spell. Abeysekera’s witty, compelling, and poised performance depicts a solo voyage. Surrounded by an incredible, indispensable company of actors it manages to transcend a single life. This is life itself. A fantastic voyage. This is Theatre.

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

★★★

“what could be a gripping, nail-biting production is brought away from the cliff edge by the proclamatory style of the writing”

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES

Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre

Reviewed on 8th July 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Manuel Harlan

Last ten shows reviewed at this venue:

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES

NOUGHTS AND CROSSES

Wyndham’s Theatre

Reviewed – 29th November 2021

★★★★★

“This is theatre at its most hallucinatory and wonderful, yet fundamentally simplistic; created by a collective vision that you forget is there.”

Reviewed by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Johan Persson

Life of Pi

Wyndham’s Theatre until 27th February

More shows reviewed by Jonathan this year:

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