riannasimons's review against another edition
2.0
August 2020: I'm still not sure what to think about this.
I've been thinking about this play a lot lately after reading it and seeing since it debuted at the Royal Court (I saw it with my uni), and I can resolutely say that it needlessly victimises Gary as a character and as a Black man. We see the relationship of Nicky and Gary fall apart because Gary tries to take a stand against Victoria's very public and shameless racism and insult is only added to injury when the pair breakup and we see what once was at the play's ending. This, I feel, is only intensified by the subplot of their kids vs Mo and Anjum's kids along the discrepancies that lie in their class and differences. This was a depressing play that only made the Black/non-white people who sat in the audience feel horrible about themselves and their circumstances (which is a conclusion I've come to based on discussions with my Black and non-white classmates). I suppose, in that regard, Kaur Bhatti is able to show how such events that occur from systematic racism can alter peoples lives, but seeing such events plainly depicted onstage was just painful. I feel that by Gary being punished for trying to take a stand was just insulting - and not to say that it's not realistic (perhaps it is, to Kaur Bhatti) - but I feel that it only really allows Gary to be seen in one light, as an angry disgruntled Black man. It's almost as though he's not allowed to feel horrible and should instead just move on from the events, as Nicky, his white wife, keeps reminding him.
This play left me feeling like an angry disgruntled Black woman. And I'm not exactly sure that Black trauma and strife is a necessary way to sell tickets anymore, not when it makes your Black and non-white audience members feel even worse when sitting in a largely white space in Sloane Square of all places.
Which begs the question: who is this play for? And that's not to say that this was written for a certain audience or that plays need to be written for certain groups, but I ask genuinely, who is this play for? It doesn't feel like it was supposed be for everyone. Is it for white people, to see Black pain and realise they've got it good? Is it for non-white people who (whilst dealing with their own struggles and own specific targeted racism) aren't dealing with anti-Black racism and thus have it better than Black people? I'd be surprised to know if this play was intended to assuage the realities of Black people and their experiences - I felt so hopeless and angry after seeing this and reading it, it reminded me that Black pain sells and that it sells well. After all Michael Billington gave it 4 out of 5 stars in the Guardian.
I wish that this play had done so many things differently. I feel that it thinks it's some kind of gritty issue based drama when in reality it felt much more like an episode of EastEnders. It was depressing and in light of the seeming change in public consciousness, I wonder what Kaur Bhatti will write next. Not to even to put the thought out there, but would she change the play knowing what we all know now? Who knows. I'm interested in seeing what theatrical text she writes next.
I've been thinking about this play a lot lately after reading it and seeing since it debuted at the Royal Court (I saw it with my uni), and I can resolutely say that it needlessly victimises Gary as a character and as a Black man. We see the relationship of Nicky and Gary fall apart because Gary tries to take a stand against Victoria's very public and shameless racism and insult is only added to injury when the pair breakup and we see what once was at the play's ending. This, I feel, is only intensified by the subplot of their kids vs Mo and Anjum's kids along the discrepancies that lie in their class and differences. This was a depressing play that only made the Black/non-white people who sat in the audience feel horrible about themselves and their circumstances (which is a conclusion I've come to based on discussions with my Black and non-white classmates). I suppose, in that regard, Kaur Bhatti is able to show how such events that occur from systematic racism can alter peoples lives, but seeing such events plainly depicted onstage was just painful. I feel that by Gary being punished for trying to take a stand was just insulting - and not to say that it's not realistic (perhaps it is, to Kaur Bhatti) - but I feel that it only really allows Gary to be seen in one light, as an angry disgruntled Black man. It's almost as though he's not allowed to feel horrible and should instead just move on from the events, as Nicky, his white wife, keeps reminding him.
This play left me feeling like an angry disgruntled Black woman. And I'm not exactly sure that Black trauma and strife is a necessary way to sell tickets anymore, not when it makes your Black and non-white audience members feel even worse when sitting in a largely white space in Sloane Square of all places.
Which begs the question: who is this play for? And that's not to say that this was written for a certain audience or that plays need to be written for certain groups, but I ask genuinely, who is this play for? It doesn't feel like it was supposed be for everyone. Is it for white people, to see Black pain and realise they've got it good? Is it for non-white people who (whilst dealing with their own struggles and own specific targeted racism) aren't dealing with anti-Black racism and thus have it better than Black people? I'd be surprised to know if this play was intended to assuage the realities of Black people and their experiences - I felt so hopeless and angry after seeing this and reading it, it reminded me that Black pain sells and that it sells well. After all Michael Billington gave it 4 out of 5 stars in the Guardian.
I wish that this play had done so many things differently. I feel that it thinks it's some kind of gritty issue based drama when in reality it felt much more like an episode of EastEnders. It was depressing and in light of the seeming change in public consciousness, I wonder what Kaur Bhatti will write next. Not to even to put the thought out there, but would she change the play knowing what we all know now? Who knows. I'm interested in seeing what theatrical text she writes next.
riannasimons's review
2.0
August 2020: I'm still not sure what to think about this.
I've been thinking about this play a lot lately after reading it and seeing since it debuted at the Royal Court (I saw it with my uni), and I can resolutely say that it needlessly victimises Gary as a character and as a Black man. We see the relationship of Nicky and Gary fall apart because Gary tries to take a stand against Victoria's very public and shameless racism and insult is only added to injury when the pair breakup and we see what once was at the play's ending. This, I feel, is only intensified by the subplot of their kids vs Mo and Anjum's kids along the discrepancies that lie in their class and differences. This was a depressing play that only made the Black/non-white people who sat in the audience feel horrible about themselves and their circumstances (which is a conclusion I've come to based on discussions with my Black and non-white classmates). I suppose, in that regard, Kaur Bhatti is able to show how such events that occur from systematic racism can alter peoples lives, but seeing such events plainly depicted onstage was just painful. I feel that by Gary being punished for trying to take a stand was just insulting - and not to say that it's not realistic (perhaps it is, to Kaur Bhatti) - but I feel that it only really allows Gary to be seen in one light, as an angry disgruntled Black man. It's almost as though he's not allowed to feel horrible and should instead just move on from the events, as Nicky, his white wife, keeps reminding him.
This play left me feeling like an angry disgruntled Black woman. And I'm not exactly sure that Black trauma and strife is a necessary way to sell tickets anymore, not when it makes your Black and non-white audience members feel even worse when sitting in a largely white space in Sloane Square of all places.
Which begs the question: who is this play for? And that's not to say that this was written for a certain audience or that plays need to be written for certain groups, but I ask genuinely, who is this play for? It doesn't feel like it was supposed be for everyone. Is it for white people, to see Black pain and realise they've got it good? Is it for non-white people who (whilst dealing with their own struggles and own specific targeted racism) aren't dealing with anti-Black racism and thus have it better than Black people? I'd be surprised to know if this play was intended to assuage the realities of Black people and their experiences - I felt so hopeless and angry after seeing this and reading it, it reminded me that Black pain sells and that it sells well. After all Michael Billington gave it 4 out of 5 stars in the Guardian.
I wish that this play had done so many things differently. I feel that it thinks it's some kind of gritty issue based drama when in reality it felt much more like an episode of EastEnders. It was depressing and in light of the seeming change in public consciousness, I wonder what Kaur Bhatti will write next. Not to even to put the thought out there, but would she change the play knowing what we all know now? Who knows. I'm interested in seeing what theatrical text she writes next.
I've been thinking about this play a lot lately after reading it and seeing since it debuted at the Royal Court (I saw it with my uni), and I can resolutely say that it needlessly victimises Gary as a character and as a Black man. We see the relationship of Nicky and Gary fall apart because Gary tries to take a stand against Victoria's very public and shameless racism and insult is only added to injury when the pair breakup and we see what once was at the play's ending. This, I feel, is only intensified by the subplot of their kids vs Mo and Anjum's kids along the discrepancies that lie in their class and differences. This was a depressing play that only made the Black/non-white people who sat in the audience feel horrible about themselves and their circumstances (which is a conclusion I've come to based on discussions with my Black and non-white classmates). I suppose, in that regard, Kaur Bhatti is able to show how such events that occur from systematic racism can alter peoples lives, but seeing such events plainly depicted onstage was just painful. I feel that by Gary being punished for trying to take a stand was just insulting - and not to say that it's not realistic (perhaps it is, to Kaur Bhatti) - but I feel that it only really allows Gary to be seen in one light, as an angry disgruntled Black man. It's almost as though he's not allowed to feel horrible and should instead just move on from the events, as Nicky, his white wife, keeps reminding him.
This play left me feeling like an angry disgruntled Black woman. And I'm not exactly sure that Black trauma and strife is a necessary way to sell tickets anymore, not when it makes your Black and non-white audience members feel even worse when sitting in a largely white space in Sloane Square of all places.
Which begs the question: who is this play for? And that's not to say that this was written for a certain audience or that plays need to be written for certain groups, but I ask genuinely, who is this play for? It doesn't feel like it was supposed be for everyone. Is it for white people, to see Black pain and realise they've got it good? Is it for non-white people who (whilst dealing with their own struggles and own specific targeted racism) aren't dealing with anti-Black racism and thus have it better than Black people? I'd be surprised to know if this play was intended to assuage the realities of Black people and their experiences - I felt so hopeless and angry after seeing this and reading it, it reminded me that Black pain sells and that it sells well. After all Michael Billington gave it 4 out of 5 stars in the Guardian.
I wish that this play had done so many things differently. I feel that it thinks it's some kind of gritty issue based drama when in reality it felt much more like an episode of EastEnders. It was depressing and in light of the seeming change in public consciousness, I wonder what Kaur Bhatti will write next. Not to even to put the thought out there, but would she change the play knowing what we all know now? Who knows. I'm interested in seeing what theatrical text she writes next.
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