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Clash of the cultures
George and Ella Khan. Ayub Khan Din and Jane Horrocks, surrounded by their family East is East
New Alexandra Theatre
**** GEORGE Khan is a man losing control. His
was a generation and a culture of patriarchy. His word is law as his
father’s word had been law before him and his father before him. The was the way it was and always had been, the
father making the decisions on everything for everyone in the family
which might have worked in George’s rural Pakistan homeland but in the
back streets of 1971 Salford, with an English wife and running a family
chippy his grip was being loosened day by day. George is played by Salford born Ayub Khan Din
who wrote the original 1997 Royal Court play and subsequent film and
gives a lovely portrayal of a man who is self opinionated, obsessed with
tradition and his own interpretation of both Islam and the Pakistan way,
even if it is the Pakistan, or India as it was then, he left 36 years
ago; he is also a man who is losing his grip. There is a parallel with events in George’s
homeland where West Pakistan is turning to violence in an attempt to
subdue rebellious East Pakistan, which is soon to breakaway to become an
independent Bangladesh. It is a situation George is following avidly on
TV and radio and just as West Pakistan’s perceived authority is being
challenged George’s own is being questioned a Ella, played exquisitely by Jane Horrocks, goes
as far as she dares to protect her children and to act as peacemaker and
referee, but there is always the threat of violence as George defends
what he sees as his right - unquestioning respect and obeyance by his
family.
Which is not to say George is just a two
dimensional bully and a tyrant, he is a family man at heart, it is just
everyone is expected to comply with his view of family. He can also be
very funny. Thirty six years in Salford, 25 years married to Ella, and
he still commits grievous bodily harm on the English Language in every
sentence, missus; and he has penchant for bargains (in his view) from
the market, such as a barber’s chair he brings home – just the thing for
a back street Salford terrace – which creates a scene of touching
tenderness. The rebellion against George had started when
eldest son Nazir had run away rather than go through with an arranged
wedding and gone into exile in Eccles. He was disowned by George but was
seen as a beacon of freedom for some of his remaining six, westernised
children. There is second son Abdul, the thoughtful one,
played by Amit Shah, who hardly questions George’s authority until he
attacks his mother, and Tariq, played by Ashley Kumar, who, born in
England, sees himself as English. They are the next two George will be attempting
to enter into arranged marriages. Maneer, played by Darren Kuppan, is perhaps the
least Westernised of the bunch, while daughter Meenah, played
beautifully on Press night by understudy Deepal Parmar, hates even
wearing a sari. Then there is Saleem, played by Nathan Clarke,
who George thinks is at college studying engineering, which could get
him a fine house and a fine job in Pakistan, according to
Finally we have Sajit, played by Michael Karim,
who suffers a physical problem, an omission at birth which left him more
intact that a good Muslim should be. Sajit has more problems than
offending the Islamic view on male “tickle tackle” as George would have
it. He has a parka which he wears day and night and is grubby enough to
have developed its own wildlife. The Parka produces some wonderful
laughs on its own.
The parka, hood up, is Sajit’s refuge from the
world which he finally removes to attack George in the final family
confrontation. Around the family we have Auntie Annie, a
neighbour who seems to have her own supply line from Manchester docks.
Annie played by Sally Bankes, pops in regularly, helps in the chippy and
seems to be called on whenever anyone dies in the neighbourhood to take
care of the laying out. Then there is Rani Moorthy and Hassani Shapi as
Mr and Mrs Shah, the socially climbing Pakistani couple - they
live in a semi-detached with TWO extensions in Trafford Park – who are
on the hunt for two good Pakistani boys to marry their somewhat less
than stunningly attractive daughters, a match made in . . . well likely
confrontation in this case with Tariq set to run off to Eccles and even
Abdul uneasy at his life being controlled even down to who he marries. The play is set in 1971 and 44 years on its
subject is still relevant as East and West still clash in authoritarian
families of immigrant origin where tradition and perceived honour still
rule. What Khan Din has done is turn the culture clash
into a comedy with bite. He was from an Anglo-Pakistani family, and
states that Sajit is very much a self-portrait while George and Ella are
based very much on his own parents, which could explain why the family
are more than caricatures and we feel for them all, even the tyrannical
George, battling to do his best for both his family and his way of life
– not seeing the two are incompatible. The set from Tom Scutt is simple and flexible to
give the Khan household, chip shop, hospital and back yard with a few
pushes heare and there and Richard Howell’s lighting although it can be
confusing at times, Sajit rushing off to the coal shed stage right and
being found in there stage left behind a door where George has been
hanging his coat. Sam Yates, the director has kept up a decent pace
and doesn’t allow emotions to take over while full marks to fight
director Kate Waters who gave us fights that looked real rather than bad
rehearsals for Strictly. It might be a thought provoking piece, a picture
of working class immigrant life, but most of all it is entertaining and
very funny. To 17-01-15 Roger Clarke
14-01-15
Chips with everything . . . **** HAVING written this semi-autobiographic play
about multi-cultural family issues, Ayub Khan Din might be expected to
give a convincing performance in the lead role, and he does just that. He plays 1970s Salford chip shop owner George
Khan, married to his white English wife for 25 years, and struggling to
cope with some of the views and attitudes of their six sons and a
daughter brought up in this country, starkly contrasting with his own
strict Pakistani-Muslim beliefs. There are times when George – his kids call him
Ghenghis when he’s not in earshot – appears tyrannical as he wrestles
for control in their back-to-back home, and others when you sympathise
with him in a story that mixes raw emotion with sparkling humour. Nor does he get all his own way with his loyal
wife Ella, beautifully played by TV and film actress Jane Horrocks who
can fight her corner even after receiving one painful thump during a
row, and his threats to bring his Pakistani wife over to England if she
doesn’t toe the line never seem too genuine. There’s a touch of Mrs Brown’s Boys about the
action at times, with the family never economical with the use of dodgy
language, including the f-word, which might surprise a few people. The
build-up to the youngest son, Sajit (Michael Karim), needing to be
circumcised also has a cringe factor! But the play is more memorable for its humour,
particularly in the second act when a comfortably off Pakistani couple
arrive to discuss the proposed arranged marriage of their daughters to
two of the Khans’ sons, and a piece of art work showing the naked front
torso of a woman, turns up to create a bit of mayhem. Sally Banks adds another dimension to the fun as
the children’s white Auntie Annie. Directed by Sam Yates, East is East runs to
17.01.15 Paul Marston
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nd,
like Pakistan, he turns to violence to maintain control, in George’s
case, first upon first his wife, Ella, then his children.
George
. . . except he is really studying art.