Royal Court Theatre
A KIND OF PEOPLE
Review by Izzy
Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti's A Kind of People takes place over the course of two weeks. Never before have I seen a play in which such drastic changes occur over such a short period of time. The play tackles practically all of the big problems in today's society head on; racism, sexism, discrimination and prejudice in terms of religion, and injustices with the class system. About five minutes into the play the audience is confronted with the first of many tense situations which force you to think about social injustices. These situations continue to appear, manifesting themselves in unexpected areas and continually forcing the audience to think - right through until the very end of the play.
|
The play opens in childhood sweethearts Gary and Nicky's council flat. Family friends Anjum and Mo are also round, aswell as Gary's sister Karen and his work colleague Mark. It is an ordinary night for this group of people, until Gary's manager Victoria arrives, finding herself in a rather unfamiliar environment. Indeed, upon arriving she is soon to compliment Nicky on her flat - "it doesn't look council" she says. After becoming completely intoxicated, she begins to make outrageous racial comments, causing grimaces not only from the other characters on stage, but also from the audience, as well as multiple audible gasps.
This is the first thing to happen in what is a domino set up of events. Everything is cause and effect - and whilst perhaps not intentional it does follow the traditional rule of tragedy and "Unity of Action". One thing leads to another and as the play progresses we are made to question our own prejudices and opinions. The play's main focus is on racism - Gary is not selected for a promotion on the grounds of the colour of his skin, which leads to a fierce discussion between him and his manager and has drastic results for his own wellbeing as well as the stability of his family life. But the play also has other recurring themes - two mothers trying to get tutoring for their children so that they'll get into a good grammar school and have future prospects, exposing the corruption of the education system. Women are told to smile and it is assumed that they'd most like to stay at home and just do the cooking and cleaning. Nicky accuses Anjum of using her hijab as a mask - "underneath it, you're a liar".
Bhatti's stream of tense events is relentless and leaves you processing what has happened long after you've left the theatre.
This is the first thing to happen in what is a domino set up of events. Everything is cause and effect - and whilst perhaps not intentional it does follow the traditional rule of tragedy and "Unity of Action". One thing leads to another and as the play progresses we are made to question our own prejudices and opinions. The play's main focus is on racism - Gary is not selected for a promotion on the grounds of the colour of his skin, which leads to a fierce discussion between him and his manager and has drastic results for his own wellbeing as well as the stability of his family life. But the play also has other recurring themes - two mothers trying to get tutoring for their children so that they'll get into a good grammar school and have future prospects, exposing the corruption of the education system. Women are told to smile and it is assumed that they'd most like to stay at home and just do the cooking and cleaning. Nicky accuses Anjum of using her hijab as a mask - "underneath it, you're a liar".
Bhatti's stream of tense events is relentless and leaves you processing what has happened long after you've left the theatre.
One of things that always amazes me about the Royal Court is how much the stage transforms from production to production. In this production it is, for the most part, set inside Gary and Nicky's flat - a spacious and homely looking place with childrens toys strewn across the floor. With a quick rotation of a table and some walls closing in, the space is transformed into Victoria's office or the staff room. Between each scene change the audience was briefly left to contemplate what has just occurred, which became very useful as more and more actions piled up.
Another thing that always strikes me at the Royal Court is how powerful the cast is. Richie Campbell gave a gripping performance as Gary, who moved from being confident and care-free to seemingly agonizing over his new-found 'freedom' that he had gained by standing up to his boss, and everything that this brought with it. Claire-Louise Cordwell as Nicky moved me to tears as her life began to crumble before her eyes, desperate to give her children the best opportunity they could have in life. Every member of the cast was brilliant and added a whole new dimension to the script.
This is a play which unapologetically storms against injustices in our society. It is a shockingly raw depiction of the problems that lie underneath the façade of our all-accepting, multi-cultural, and forward-thinking nation - Bhatti's text is sure to spark a conversation. However, not only is it a stimulating play in terms of the way it makes you think, but it will also make you laugh out loud and move you to tears.