Written by: Lils (@LilyKG)Waterloo East Theatre, London
***
With approximately a fortnight to go, the world is currently
waiting with baited breath as Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney go head-to-head in
the US presidential election. But take a trip to Waterloo East Theatre before
November 4th and you’ll be transported to a flat in Harlem in the
early 80s; there to meet ‘Barry’ Obama, a hopeful, young graduate from Columbia
University, whose dreams of presidency were not even fully realised yet.
Based on actual events in his life, The President and the Pakistani sees a young Obama (depicted by
Syrus Lowe) living with friend, and illegal immigrant, Sal Maqbool (Junaid
Faiz). As their tenancy comes to an end and Sal’s dog goes missing, the pair
confront each other about their conflicting ambitions, views on drugs and
general outlook on life; all interwoven with an endearing sense of humour. However, although the story is intriguing and
transfixing, the dialogue seemed unnatural in places and certain directorial
choices missed the mark.
In everyday life, it’s very unusual to constantly address
the person you’re speaking to by name –
especially when it’s just the two of you – but this is a fact that playwright
Rashid Razaq doesn’t appear to pay attention to. With almost every other line
ending in a character name, the dialogue started to seem strained and
unrealistic; a shame when, otherwise, the relationship created by Lowe and Faiz
was so believable. The two bounced off each other with wonderful energy and
emotion, making their performances a pleasure to watch. Faiz in particular
evoked a great deal of empathy for the conflicted Sal.
I cannot go on without mentioning a, quite frankly, bizarre
transition. At the conclusion of the first scene, I was suddenly confronted by
Obama lip-syncing and gesticulating to 80s rap music, complete with disco
lights and glowing cardboard boxes. Many of the audience exchanged awkward
giggles as we tried to determine whether or not we were supposed to find this
amusing – I still can’t be sure what on earth was going on, but the transition
was jarring and unnecessary.
The venue was very well suited to this two-hander, and the
space of the studio theatre was utilised effectively and interestingly. The
prop dog could have been more realistic, but suspending my disbelief in favour
of connecting with the story was not difficult to do thanks to the emotion on
display from the cast.
Despite a few strange decisions, The President and the Pakistani is a charming production and well
worth a watch. It reminds its audience of the excitement surrounding Obama’s
election, whilst providing a glimpse of the journey that took him there.
This production runs until 4 November 2012.
For more information: http://www.waterlooeast.co.uk/the%20president%20and%20the%20pakistani.html
@waterlooeast @presidentplay
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