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Review: Santi & Naz (Birmingham Hippodrome / UK Tour)

Review by Raphael Kohn

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 

There are many things that can separate us in this strange world we live in. Politics, borders, and privileges often put us in opposing binary boxes, pushed apart from the divisive world we live in. Indeed, set at the time of the creation of a border itself, Santi & Naz is no stranger to the themes of separation and polarisation. Against a backdrop of the 1947 partition of India, religious tensions and political divides threaten to tear apart its titular protagonists. But why, the play asks, can their happy, uncomplicated lives not just be that – happy and uncomplicated?

 

We start off with a playful start, with Santi and Naz as children. They’ve not a care in the world. As they grow up, they experience love, fear, and above all, have to grapple with the world around them. There’s a lovely innocence to the two of them from the very beginning, their broad smiles and playful eyes darting around, unbothered by it all. In fact, they turn it all into a joke, with impressions of British and Indian politicians featuring throughout. Nothing has to matter in their world.

 


Until it does, of course. This is not just a comedy. There’s a good deal of seriousness here too, as the threat of an arranged marriage to a much older man rears its head against a backdrop of self-discovery and understanding of sexuality. In just a brief 65-ish minutes, Santi & Naz begins to get deep into these themes. 

 

Oscillating between humour and sincerity, writers Guleraana Mir and afshan d’souza-lodhi never let each side outweigh the other. It almost seems to want to shy away from the more interesting themes at first. This occasionally causes the play to become a touch superficial in its treatment of serious themes, with the important moments’ impact dampened by sudden tonal shifts back into more light-hearted scenes, but also prevents it from ever getting too dark.



It takes a little while to get going in the first place. The first half hour is primarily dedicated to the two of them as children, exploring the historical events through child’s play. And while this is excellent to flesh out each character, it doesn’t particularly do much to advance the plot or develop it much thematically. But once it gets going in its second half hour, darkening the tone with the impending arranged marriage, then it gets going brilliantly.

 

This is mainly thanks to Aiyana Bartlett’s performance of Santi, a wide-eyed innocent child at first who brings most of the sincerity throughout, grounding the performance. Her fantastic cheeky side maximises her comedic potential, however, rounding out her character into an utterly believable co-protagonist. As Naz, Farah Ashraf stumbles initially, not quite conjuring Naz’s child self believably and teetering towards overacting. But once she jumps that hurdle and gets into the play’s meatier scenes, she becomes almost unstoppable in her performance. As the subject of some of the darker content, she has a particularly difficult part to play, but she tackles it excellently.



The production only has two actors, but it takes a village to make a show. There’s Tom Curzon’s score, wonderfully imitating the sound of raindrops with its plucked strings and vibrant soundscape. Sascha Gilmour’s set, a minimalist carpet with a cracked design to illustrate the future border to be set up between the countries, makes for an unobtrusive setting for the action, lit simply but effectively by Laura Howard. It’s a simple creative vision, but an undoubtedly successful one.

 

There’s a slightly odd twist thrown in towards the end to build tension that doesn’t feel fully developed, and a few moments where things feel slightly unfinished. But they’re slight scratches on an otherwise glimmeringly polished script. Full of heart and with wonderful performances, this fantastically feminist play transcends its borders and divides to an impactful and meaningful ending.

 

Santi & Naz is touring until 8th November 2024. Tickets and tour dates from https://www.thethelmas.co.uk/santi-naz

3 comments

3 Comments


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