East is East

Probably what attracted me to this play was the chance to see Jane Horrocks. She didn't disappoint, and was clearly the best actor on the stage, but the play was excellent altogether. Horrocks is the very Northern housewife married to a Pakistani Muslim who owns a chip shop. The story is really of the man trying to assert himself as head of his family, who he is trying to bring up the right way, ie the Pakistani way, but ultimately he overreaches himself. Its generally very funny and would survive just on the laughs. But its also an interesting picture of a certain type of racism, of watching an alien who is so proud of his country that anything Pakistani is good and anything else is bad, especially Indian. This is particularly highlighted by the time it is set in - with a backdrop of Bangladesh's war of independence.

The denouement concerns his decision to marry off his two eldest sons to the two daughters of another Pakistani whose main claim to fame is the size of his extension.George is a real ogre of a man and the one thing the play doesn't do is really bring out what it was that Jane Horrocks saw in him. But then again, there are lots of ogres that seem to have no problem in finding women to marry. But what he represents is that sort of  person who needs respect to satisfy his manhood, and doesn't choose (or is able) to earn it, so opts to achieve it by bullying and violence. In order that he can show off in front of other men who have even made it so big in life that they can build a double extension.

The young Asian cast playing the mixed-race children over-acted a bit but overall were not at all bad. It was an enjoyable play altogether - well worth checking out.