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Queen of the Nile – review Queen of the Nile – review
(5 months later)
Tim Fountain's new piece operates on two levels: romantic and political. As a romance it plays out a standard story of lovelorn westerners finding fulfilment in the east. Debbie (Lizzie Roper) is a 40-year-old singleton who jumps at the chance to chum along her best friend on a week-long trip to Luxor. There she meets Mahmoud (Asif Khan), a poor, young and handsome sailor running felucca Nile cruises. Passion blossoms into love. The holiday ends but the relationship continues. Prissy best friend Jan (Michelle Butterly) returns to Wakefield alone. Although complications threaten the lovers' dream (skip to the penultimate paragraph now if you don't want to know the resolution), a fairy-godmother-style intervention sees them not only married but hopeful owners of a well-established business.Tim Fountain's new piece operates on two levels: romantic and political. As a romance it plays out a standard story of lovelorn westerners finding fulfilment in the east. Debbie (Lizzie Roper) is a 40-year-old singleton who jumps at the chance to chum along her best friend on a week-long trip to Luxor. There she meets Mahmoud (Asif Khan), a poor, young and handsome sailor running felucca Nile cruises. Passion blossoms into love. The holiday ends but the relationship continues. Prissy best friend Jan (Michelle Butterly) returns to Wakefield alone. Although complications threaten the lovers' dream (skip to the penultimate paragraph now if you don't want to know the resolution), a fairy-godmother-style intervention sees them not only married but hopeful owners of a well-established business.
Since this is a contemporary tale, Debbie is unabashedly upfront about her sexual desires and Mahmoud has been making a bit on the side by offering himself as a bit on the side to tourists. It is his sideline that brings them together, via the agency of the eponymous "queen". Seventysomething expat Lesley (Dudley Sutton) runs a back-street restaurant, enticing British women to egg and chips then introducing them to hard-up Egyptian men. When Debbie discovers that he, too, has been enjoying Mahmoud's favours, she threatens to leave. Both men lie about their (financially incentivised) relationship and Lesley hands over his business to the reconciled couple, on a "pay when you can" basis, as he returns to England.Since this is a contemporary tale, Debbie is unabashedly upfront about her sexual desires and Mahmoud has been making a bit on the side by offering himself as a bit on the side to tourists. It is his sideline that brings them together, via the agency of the eponymous "queen". Seventysomething expat Lesley (Dudley Sutton) runs a back-street restaurant, enticing British women to egg and chips then introducing them to hard-up Egyptian men. When Debbie discovers that he, too, has been enjoying Mahmoud's favours, she threatens to leave. Both men lie about their (financially incentivised) relationship and Lesley hands over his business to the reconciled couple, on a "pay when you can" basis, as he returns to England.
Mila Sanders's evocative design includes inter-scene projections of television reports on the Arab spring. These have no direct relationship to the action but seem to encourage consideration of a political underpinning to what would otherwise be a seaside-postcard of a play. On this level it comes across as sexist (the women are only fulfilled in sexual relationships) and colonialist (Egyptians are exploited as sex objects with consequences presented as typical behaviours of the culture). The demonstrations in Tahrir Square appear as a backdrop threat to the couple's ambitions for tourist-trade success.Mila Sanders's evocative design includes inter-scene projections of television reports on the Arab spring. These have no direct relationship to the action but seem to encourage consideration of a political underpinning to what would otherwise be a seaside-postcard of a play. On this level it comes across as sexist (the women are only fulfilled in sexual relationships) and colonialist (Egyptians are exploited as sex objects with consequences presented as typical behaviours of the culture). The demonstrations in Tahrir Square appear as a backdrop threat to the couple's ambitions for tourist-trade success.
Director Mike Bradwell, returning to the company he founded after a 30-year absence, brings as much pace as possible to a flabby text. Saltily demotic dialogue is entertaining but lively disagreements do not compensate for lack of dramatic conflict. The sagging action is bolstered by a strong, well-balanced cast, bringing depth to these stereotyped "characters".Director Mike Bradwell, returning to the company he founded after a 30-year absence, brings as much pace as possible to a flabby text. Saltily demotic dialogue is entertaining but lively disagreements do not compensate for lack of dramatic conflict. The sagging action is bolstered by a strong, well-balanced cast, bringing depth to these stereotyped "characters".
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