THEATRE
Written by Sylvia Koury, by Red Stitch Theatre
At Red Stitch Theatre until 21 May 2023
Reviewer: Kate Herbert
Stars: **** ( 4)
This review is published only on this blog. I’ll present a radio review on Arts Weekly, 3MBS, on Sat 29 April 2023. kh
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| Khisraw Jones-Shukoor & Nicole Nabout (standing), Farhad Zaiwala & Claudia Greenstone (sitting) pic Jodie Hutchinson |
If you imagine your life and the lives of those you love are in danger, and there is little or no hope of escape to a place of safety, then you may have an inkling of the appalling predicament facing the characters in Sylvia Koury’s play, Selling Kabul.
Taroon (Khrisraw Jones-Shukoor), a former translator for the US army in Afghanistan, has hidden for four months in his sister Afiya’s (Nicole Nabout) tiny, claustrophobic apartment in Kabul, awaiting a promised US visa, literally closeted in Afiya’s clothing cupboard to avoid the death sentence that will certainly face him if, or when, the ruthless Taliban track him down.
His wife has given birth to their first child and Taroon, in his desperation, repeatedly tries to leave the apartment to visit her in hospital, only to be stopped by Afiya who knows that he risks everyone’s lives if he is apprehended. Violent men await his appearance, nowhere is safe, everyone has secrets and anyone could be an informer.
Koury’s play and Brett Cousins’ taut direction have an atmosphere of impending doom and suspicions that Taroon has been betrayed or may even have carelessly revealed his own whereabouts. The performance moves with the weight and speed of a freight train travelling inexorably toward a grim future.
As Taroon, Jones-Shukoor embodies the volatility of incarceration fever, prowling like a crazed, caged creature, intermittently surly, apologetic, sulking like a child, raging, loving, rebellious or resentful, but always determined, despite the risks, to see his wife and new baby.
Nabout’s Afiya is febrile, vibrating with anxiety and fear, fiercely protective and maternal toward her brother and desperate to save him and protect her husband, Jawid, who is played by Farhad Zaiwala with gentle forebearance that is underscored by shame. As Afiya’s neighbour, Leyla, mother of a young baby, Claudia Greenstone captures a barely suppressed hysteria that finally bubbles to the surface.
There is a relentless sense of menace, rising frenzy, foreboding and helplessness in the face of dark forces outside. There are no good choices and there appears to be no happy future for this family. The ending of Selling Kabul is heart-wrenching but manages to salvage a glimmer of hope from the bleakness and despair.
by Kate Herbert
CAST
Taroon -Khrisraw Jones-Shukoor
Afiya’ -Nicole Nabout
Leyla - Claudia Greenstone
Jawid - Farhad Zaiwala
CREATIVE TEAM
Director - Brett Cousins
Set/Costume - Sophie Woodward
Lighting - Richard Vabre
Sound - Grace Ferguson
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