Review: EDINBURGH 2024: DUCK, Pleasance Courtyard Beneath

Ismail (or Smiley, to his friends) loves cricket. With his sights featuring in Wisden (often referred to as the Bible of Cricket) and a father who likens him to a professional cricketer, he has a lot to live up to. Thankfully, his passion matches his skill, as he's about to become the youngest-ever player in his private school's First XI Cricket team. Only, things take a turn for the worse when the new coach takes a strong dislike to Smiley - causing both his confidence and performance to struggle. 

Duck is set in the Summer of 2005, as England are set to win the ashes. However, it also coincides with the 7/7 bombings, which resulted in a marked increase in Islamaphobia within the UK. This is something that Smiley now deals with first-hand.

Written by Maatin, Duck is both a love letter to cricket and a powerful insight into everyday racism and classism within the UK, especially within the private school and sporting spheres.  Through the voice of a young teenager whose perceptions of just about everything, from his father to the sport he imagined playing for his entire life, are beginning to shatter, it's an interesting and compelling conversation.

As many of the references require insight into the world of cricket, this production is likely to strike a chord among fans of the sport - though it is not entirely alienating for those who preferred to sit on the sidelines during PE. Qasim Mahmood gives a strong performance as Smiley, confidently portraying multiple roles alongside the charming central character. 

There's also a lot of strength within the script, especially during scenes between Smiley and his father. However, the inclusion of audio recordings during the latter half of the production feels unnecessary. Smiley's experiences alone are enough to clue the audience in on what is happening, so the audio snippets don't resonate in the way they were perhaps intended. Similarly, it would have been nice for the projections to be used more consistently within this production.

Duck is a coming-of-age story that explores institutionalised racism, both within sport and society at large, through a mixture of both comedy and pathos. With a skilled performer at the helm, it's something that Cricket fans are sure to enjoy. 

Duck is at Pleansance Court Yard as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival until August 26.

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