Tag Archives: Soho Theatre

SANTI & NAZ

★★★★

Soho Theatre

SANTI & NAZ

Soho Theatre

★★★★

“Innocence and playfulness mingle with a satire that bites when we least expect it”

Guleraana Mir’s beautifully constructed short play, “Santi and Naz”, is a deceptively innocent and poetic account of an enduring friendship between two young women who grew up in pre-partition India. They are living in an unnamed village, soon to be split in two by new borders that sliced through the lives of millions of unsettled people. The blood spilled still stains the ground decades later. The play, however, avoids making any political commentary on the consequences of (and widespread opposition to) partition. Instead, it zooms in on the very personal effects. And by looking at the world through childish eyes, it becomes more emotively powerful.

Nehru’s (in)famous ‘Tryst with Destiny’ address opens the play, his crackling voiceover heralding the ‘stroke of the midnight hour’. As his words fall and fracture onto a darkened stage, Santi (Aiyana Bartlett) is writing a letter, destined never to be delivered, to childhood friend Naz (Farah Ashraf). The intimacy is ingrained in her memories. Laura Howard’s evocative lighting shifts to warmer shades and we find Santi and Naz years earlier, playing games, dancing, teasing and swooning over the local heartthrob. It is a coming-of-age story whose lightness belies the darkness lurking beneath. Over time that darkness spreads like a shadow between them – a representation of the cultural changes that force them apart. The performances are undeniably strong throughout: Bartlett’s vulnerable and romantic Santi seeking shelter in books and writing, while Ashraf’s more defiant Naz seeks to defy the arranged marriage that threatens her dreams of happiness.

Mir’s script (co-written with afshan d’souza-lodhi) has a natural flow, accentuated by the gorgeous chemistry between the two performers. Innocence and playfulness mingle with a satire that bites when we least expect it. Occasionally the writing confuses, and we are unsure whether there is a sexual undertone to their friendship; but we never doubt the resilience and indestructible strength of their connection. A connection that remains even when separated. Bartlett and Ashraf evocatively present a personal tragedy that mirrors the political one. It skirts around it at times and occasionally overlooks its Western audience, but ultimately it does shine a light on an often-misunderstood period of history.

It is, unfortunately, a universal story. Santi is Sikh and Naz is Muslim; a fact that is neither here nor there for them. Until the British withdrawal. The pair interject their dialogue with uncannily accurate impersonations of the key figures – such as Gandhi and Mountbatten – the latter especially whose actions and decisions affected the lives of those he had little connection with or knowledge about. The weight of the events ‘forces the air from our lungs’ as Naz points out. ‘I no longer know where my people are’.

Poignantly, we come full cycle for the play’s conclusion. Separated on the stage by a wedge of black light, the two characters are back where they started. Looking back, they are both yearning for the other. A friendship divided, a culture split apart, and a country thrown into two opposing sides. The line is drawn. But we are pulled back into the deeply personal: two people who refuse to see their differences. A heartfelt tale of innocence and experience that earns, and deserves, our undivided attention.

 

SANTI & NAZ

Soho Theatre

Reviewed on 23rd January 2025

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Paul Blakemore

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

BALL & BOE – FOR FOURTEEN NIGHTS ONLY | ★★★★ | December 2024
GINGER JOHNSON BLOWS OFF! | ★★★ | September 2024
COLIN HOULT: COLIN | ★★★★ | September 2024
VITAMIN D | ★★★★ | September 2024
THE DAO OF UNREPRESENTATIVE BRITISH CHINESE EXPERIENCE | ★★★★ | June 2024
BABY DINOSAUR | ★★★ | June 2024
JAZZ EMU | ★★★★★ | June 2024
BLIZZARD | ★★★★ | May 2024
BOYS ON THE VERGE OF TEARS | ★★★★ | April 2024
SPENCER JONES: MAKING FRIENDS | ★★★★ | April 2024
DON’T. MAKE. TEA. | ★★★★★ | March 2024
PUDDLES PITY PARTY | ★★ | March 2024

SANTI & NAZ

SANTI & NAZ

SANTI & NAZ

 

 

🎭 A TOP SHOW IN DECEMBER 2024 🎭

BALL & BOE – FOR FOURTEEN NIGHTS ONLY

★★★★

Soho Theatre

BALL & BOE – FOR FOURTEEN NIGHTS ONLY

Soho Theatre

★★★★

“clever, funny, and meticulously crafted”

Adam Riches said of this show that the aim is for the audience to “walk into a room where you genuinely don’t know what it’s going to be” and as that, the show is a resounding success. Though you also walk out not knowing quite what you’ve watched.

Adam Riches and John Kearns are Edinburgh Fringe legends, and beloved faces on the comedy circuit. Kearns is regularly cited by other stand-ups as being their favourite comedian. These are two comics who are clearly fascinated with dissecting entertainment, exploring what makes jokes and performances funny. So perhaps in this way it makes total sense for them to impersonate renowned light entertainment double act Michael Ball and Alfie Boe.

I confess that I was unfamiliar with Ball and Boe’s work, but that didn’t affect my overall enjoyment of the show. Riches and Kearns pored through the history and careers of Ball and Boe, ready to bring their impersonations to the stage. The show is packed with references, and nods to specific Ball and Boe moments. It’s an incredible success that the show works, even if you’re not a fan of Ball and Boe, though I imagine being more aware of their careers would make it even better.

The piece is structured as a pre-show work-in-progress of a national tour, which Ball and Boe are still ironing out. There are musical numbers, snippets of games and formats, and lots of backstage bickering.

Riches plays Ball as a schmoozy, slightly sleazy, slick entertainer with a passionate hatred of Michael Bublé. Kearns brings a tragic desperation and earnestness to his portrayal of Boe which is strangely moving. The performances are respectful, but witty and warm. It’s less caricature and more character acting. Riches and Kearns are both strong actors and bring the men to life with vigour.

The show is clever, funny, and meticulously crafted. It riffs on ideas about the art of the cover song, the fan letters Ball and Boe receive, what kinds of brand sponsorship they might get, and the idea for a new show. It’s silly and fun but the relationship between the men is emotionally real. It’s the first time Riches and Kearns have worked together as a duo, but their chemistry is electric, trusting one another with the limelight and playing off the other’s energy. Perhaps, we’re looking at a future Ball and Boe level partnership.

It’s a fresh and original piece which interrogates the very essence of entertainment. But it’s also packed with solidly good gags, and at its heart is a charming story of two best friends navigating the entertainment industry together.

 



BALL & BOE – FOR FOURTEEN NIGHTS ONLY

Soho Theatre

Reviewed on 12th December 2024

by Auriol Reddaway

Photography by Matt Stronge

 

 

 

 

 

Previously reviewed at this venue:

GINGER JOHNSON BLOWS OFF! | ★★★ | September 2024
COLIN HOULT: COLIN | ★★★★ | September 2024
VITAMIN D | ★★★★ | September 2024
THE DAO OF UNREPRESENTATIVE BRITISH CHINESE EXPERIENCE | ★★★★ | June 2024
BABY DINOSAUR | ★★★ | June 2024
JAZZ EMU | ★★★★★ | June 2024
BLIZZARD | ★★★★ | May 2024
BOYS ON THE VERGE OF TEARS | ★★★★ | April 2024
SPENCER JONES: MAKING FRIENDS | ★★★★ | April 2024
DON’T. MAKE. TEA. | ★★★★★ | March 2024
PUDDLES PITY PARTY | ★★ | March 2024
LUCY AND FRIENDS | ★★★★★ | February 2024

BALL & BOE

BALL & BOE

BALL & BOE

 

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