Review: EVENING CONVERSATIONS, Soho Theatre

"Who would you support in a cricket match between England and India?" Designed to demarcate cultural allegiances, there is no easy answer for Sudha Bhuchar's children who grew up in Southwest London with a mother of Indian heritage and father of Pakistani heritage.

Evening Conversations is a fuzzy-edged monologue written and performed by Bhuchar. She draws heavily on her own experiences of living with millennial sons through and after lockdowns and reflects lovingly on the ever-diluting nature of intergenerational diaspora identity in the 21st century.

There isn't a clear narrative structure. Instead, it relies on a series of anecdotes, each underpinned by musings and meditations orbiting the central theme. The foundationless structure means Bhuchar meanders and is soon lost in a maze of memories; the anecdotes are too diffuse to find any concrete direction. It's clear what Bhuchar wants to pinpoint. But without solid footing the performance has nothing to grip to orientate its perspective.

There is a melting pot of interesting ideas about feminism, masculinity, food, typecasting, generational differences, all viewed through the lens of Southeast Asian diaspora identity and through the eyes of her more assimilated sons. But with too wide a focus, each issue can only be mentioned in passing, and not explored adequatley.

The format is also questionable. Mercilessly stripped of any theatricality, Bhuchar addresses the audience as if they were in her lounge. Her laid-back nonchalance fosters a familial cosiness. But it's almost too at ease. The performance is in dire need of a jolt of electricity to bring its stories to life. An evening conversation yes, but after a very long day.

Bhuchar narrates the monologue from a script in a leather binder. It anchors her to a chair where she remains static for most of the performance and weighs the production down. Is it a creative decision meant to evoke a devoted parent reading bedtime stories to a drowsy child? Or does Bhuchar just not know her lines? If it's the former than it's misguided. If it's the latter, there is no excuse.

Whilst she can be charismatic in building a rapport with the audience, Bhuchar is often too quiet to hear. It's partly the fault of the venue, the downstairs room at the Soho Theatre, with its tight stage and cabaret tables, is more suited to louder more extraverted performances than intimate ones.

Evening Conversations feels like a work in progress. Bhuchar is a capable writer able to inhabit characters and illustrate perspectives through fluid and often poetic language. But more focus is required to bring that poetry to life.

Evening Conversations is at Soho Theatre until 12 November

Photo Credit: Harry Elletson

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