September 22, 2015
Set in Salford in 1971, East is East was premiered in 1996 – a period that saw British Asians prominently define themselves on the cultural map, with Nitin Sawhney, Hanif Kureishi, Talvin Singh and Goodness Gracious Me among many others, garnering much attention. Better known as the 1999 film adaptation, this revival of Ayub Khan Din’s play is an intentionally uneasy mixture of broad comedy and social critique.
This production at the Playhouse has a great looking set, superbly evoking the red-brick terraces and coal sheds of these working-class streets, which allows for inventive choreography and clever scene transitions. The casting is near-perfect, with Pauline McLynn, best known for Father Ted’s Mrs. Doyle playing the leading role with only the occasional Irish inflection of her Yorkshire diction betraying her origin. Despite her husband’s protestations, she is clearly the bedrock of the family, doing her best in circumstances rife with tension and paradoxes. Simon Nagra is also great as the dictatorial father and deeply flawed husband. He is by turns likeably comic and malevolent, uncomprehending of the changes in societal values that he doesn’t, or can’t understand, impotently clinging to his own very rose-tinted views on the importance of tradition.It was noticeable that the audience was lacking in those of Pakistani origin, and, while affectionate, the play does not shy away from the more discomforting elements of this community; domestic violence, religious dogma and more amusingly, circumcision, are prominent themes. On the other hand, abhorrent as some of this may be, the playwright is keen to emphasise that the father has good intentions - confused and ridiculous as he is. There is a noticeable shift in tone from the cosy vignettes of chaotic but happy domestic life in the first act (recalling Carla Lane’s Bread) towards something darker and much more dysfunctional that is closer to the kitchen-sink dramas of the 1960s.
From this comes redemption and hilarity as the attempted arranged marriage goes awry, and the setup quickly turns to farce. Despite the possibility of awful consequences, the audience is left with a sense of liberation and admiration for the mother and her kids wrestling with and affirming their identities. In the end, it is warm comedy that prevails, and I can thoroughly recommend this as an enjoyable evening out.