Review: GIVE ME THE SUN, Blue Elephant Theatre

In a sparsely decorated London council flat, a father and son have been keeping secrets. This is the premise of Mamet Leigh's new play Give Me The Sun, directed by Majid Mehdizadeh, which, in just an hour, unpacks the question of selfhood in the context of immigration. The small but mighty Blue Elephant Theatre, in the heart of Camberwell, feels like a fitting home for this intimate exchange between two characters attempting to reconcile the various facets of their identities.

Give Me The Sun is a duologue between eighteen-year-old Bashir and his father (or 'Baba'), who moved their family to the UK from Egypt when Bashir was just four years old. Now, it's 2019 and, having finally come of age, Bashir wants answers from Baba - why did they come to the UK, why has he never remarried after Bashir's mother died, and what is Egypt like after the Arab Spring? He resents the identity his father chose for him by moving to London, and the fact that he can't speak Arabic like the rest of his family, whom he barely knows anyway.

At the core of this play is the question of identity and "background", and the conflict that emerges when second-generation immigrants attempt to reclaim the identities their parents were so desperate to flee. Aso Sherabayani and Joseph Samimi portray this clash of ideas with real humanity, warmth and power. They are utterly believable as father and son, capable of making the audience laugh even in moments of deep discomfort, which leaves us questioning our own role as onlookers to this tragic scene.

As Baba, Sherabayani offers a complex and thoughtful portrayal of a man who truly believes he has done what's best for his son, even if he disagrees. He leaves us feeling sympathy for this man - a former doctor who now works in his local Tesco - but also a degree of fear and ultimately acute pity. Samimi's performance as Bashir is strong and gains more nuance as the show progresses, as we watch his relationship with Baba unfold.

That Mamet Leigh has fitted so many ideas and arguments into an hour-long script is impressive in itself, but importantly he allows every theme its own room to breathe. Once the show gets going in earnest, the dialogue is constantly engaging, but it takes a few minutes of action before we really get to the heart of the play.

Baba and Bashir's interaction is poignant, important and ultimately heart-breaking (I saw several audience members wiping tears from their eyes on the way out), but it remains unclear why Bashir has chosen this particular moment to confront his father about his Egyptian identity. There are moments of lyrical or metaphorical language that feel less than completely natural - rather, the script is at its best in the small, genuine interactions between father and son, which are wholly believable and even funny at times.

Give Me The Sun packs a punch: it's the kind of play that prompts audience members to turn to each other and say "...wow" when the house lights go up. It's a thoughtful, vital and relatable reflection on immigrant identities and family dynamics, which manages to be darkly funny amid deep discomfort and pain. Consider bringing tissues.

Give Me The Sun is at the Blue Elephant Theatre until 30 July

Photo Credit: Blue Elephant Theatre

To post a comment, you must register and login.