East is East

 

We all remember the 1999 film East is East, right? The classic film that bravely dealt with the issues surrounding growing up in a multi-racial community and fitting in as immigrants, all wrapped up in a comedic bow. Or, at least we remember one of the many swears, ‘bastard-bitch’ being a favourite.  

East is East has now returned to its grass roots - as a play - bringing with it a stellar cast, including Pauline McLynn of Father Ted fame, making her myriad offerings of tea to husband George (Simon Nagra) all the more endearing.

Set in 1971, George Khan, or Genghis to his kids, has settled in Salford with his wife, Ella and their seven(!) mixed race children. Two of the oldest boys are being set up for an arranged marriage, which George goes about secretly, knowing the reaction the family will give after previous heartache when their eldest son, Nazir leaves the family after refusing his own arranged marriage. George and Ella’s only daughter, Meenah (Salma Hoque), is only allowed to wear skirts for school, having to change back into trousers once home.

George is in turns brutal, lost and determined. He wants his family to be the best, to be respected by his Pakistani community as they want to become more Westernised. With a backdrop of unrest in Pakistan itself, this casts George even more adrift and highlights his struggle to fuse past and present, his culture with that of the UK’s. His frustration with his life is palpable and this erupts into violent outbursts against Ella and his children. Ella is deeply in love with the man she marries, but this doesn’t make his outbursts any more forgivable, especially not where her children are involved. The kids cling to varying degrees of Western culture, which guides the audience to question the cultural values of heritage and the role that plays in the lives of second-generation immigrants. The most heart-wrenching part of the play comes towards the end, as Sajit (well acted by Adam Karim) explains that he constantly wears his disgusting old parka to separate him from the family’s unrest, even when he’s in the midst of it.

East is East is a play with cultural identity and family values at its very core. The issues that were so important to the play in the nineties are still so relevant today, if not more so. Not only does the play focus on George as a first generation immigrant dealing with a new culture and trying to be true to his Pakistani values, his children, as second generation of immigrants have to find their own place between traditional family values and English culture. How is the balance between these two cultures struck? Is embracing one at the detriment of the other? Why is it so important for the children to be ‘Westernised’?  It has been said that East is East suffers as a product of time, but I have to disagree here, as the issues faced in the play are still all too real today as the struggle to find a place in the UK if you’re not white – British born or no – are still just as prevalent as they were in the 90s.

Although a sold as a comedy, East is East begs many questions and not all of them comfortable. For a play that’s high on laughs it delivers much more than I bargained for and gave me much to chew on as I made my way home. Recommended.  

East is East plays at Nottingham's Theatre Royal form Monday 27 July to Saturday 1 August 2015.

Nottingham Theatre Royal website