BROWN BOYS SWIM at the Soho Theatre

★★★½

“It’s a slick and stylish production under the direction of John Hoggarth”

Kash and Mohsen are friends living in Oxford on the cusp of adulthood. Kash is a bit of a clown who loves to dance to the latest Punjabi music, Bob Marley and the Spinners. Mohsen is more academic and is more interested in getting into Oxford uni than getting his classmates to like him. But when the boys hear their classmate plans to throw a pool party there is one thing they agree on. They need to learn how to swim. Kash just wants to use it as an opportunity to flirt but Mohsen understands it as an opportunity to break stereotypes and learn a valuable life skill. For the sake of safety more than anything else he’s up for the challenge.

Brown Boys Swim is a classic story of contemporary British cultural dislocation. The boys are torn between their religion and islamic identity, and the ways and mores of their school mates. They bond over their trips to the mosque, fantasizing about their future wedding ceremonies and what sweets their mums’ have made for Eid. But where they clash is over whether and how to conform with their peers; from growing beards to at the extreme drinking alcohol.

It’s a slick and stylish production under the direction of John Hoggarth. James Button’s set is simple yet versatile. With just a couple of benches and some strip lights the boys move from school to the mosque, gym to the pool. Where the set and props are multipurpose, the costumes are multitudinous – with almost every scene requiring a different outfit. Each transition of set and costume is done intentionally by the actors on stage – wonderfully choreographed in synchronicity by movement director Sita Thomas. Roshan Gunga’s sound design is outstanding – particularly the scenes of the boys at the leisure centre pool where every movement of an arm or a leg is matched by a splashing sound – an impressively evocative feat.

“They play with every splash of humour and heart they’re given in Karim Khan’s script”

All this style is so noticeable because the changes in scene are too frequent and too many – stilting the drama and stopping the characters achieving any real depth. Each time Kash and Mohsen reached an impasse, which happened too quickly and too often to be believable, the scene would end, the set and costumes would very beautifully change, over a minute would go by and then the next scene would start, in a new location with the previous disagreement squashed and forgotten about.

Kashif Ghole and Ibraheem Hussain as Kash and Mohsen gave strong performances. Even more impressive given both actors have only graduated drama school this year. They play with every splash of humour and heart they’re given in Karim Khan’s script. Kashif Ghole is totally endearing, cracking jokes whilst revealing a youthful vulnerability. Ibraheem Hussain gives us a tough exterior that hides some insecurities, but relaxes and warms when mucking about with his friend. The boys portrayal of adolescent friendship is charmingly truthful, and it’s a credit to their performances that the ending is unexpectedly moving.

Despite the committed and impassioned performances and high production value, the lack of depth in the dialogue put constraints on this show’s capacity to really allow the audience to be drawn in to the drama.