Comedy in a jail cell: Hot Zone reviewed
17th October, 2005
by Sunny Hundal
Editor
Soldier: Where in Wolverhampton would I get a surface-to-air missle from?
Iqbal: Pardon?
Soldier: Where would I get a surface-to-air missle from in Wolverhampton!
Iqbal: I swear to God this is a mistake. Honestly, I'm a nice bloke. I've given money to Comic Relief!
When Nirjay Mahindru's second play The Hot Zone opened last week, he was in a jubilant mood. Time Out magazine had given it five stars and made it the pick of the week.
Set in a high-security prison, it centres around three British Asian prisoners who are being questioned by an American soldier and later a British Asian woman from the intelligence services. Not exactly the most uplifting of circumstances, but as the above exchange shows, Mahindru has written it with a good touch of humour.
The Hot Zone is very contemporary and about the only piece of theatre that touches upon the London bombings, albeit briefly. It could be set in Guantanamo Bay, Belmarsh prison or any other high-security prison around the world. The symbolism of a prison is central, the location isn't.
It is based on documents obtained by Guardian journalist Vikram Dodd, who exposed the conditions that British Muslims had to endure in Guantanomo Bay under American supervision. In the play you see the prisoners kept in isolation, tortured, harassed, teased, cajoled and put in all sorts of situations to extract information from them.
It is a psychological battle for both sides. They keep re-evaluating their situations and changing their approaches accordingly, usually with hilarious results.
Sometimes voices on loudspeakers, in a tone similar to that on the London Undergound, say things like: "Terrorists are reminded that smoking is not permitted on any part of this camp."
Hot Zone is a welcome and innovative piece of theatre to London's mix and offers political perspective that Asian theatre usually steers away from. It is very serious one moment and and quite amusing the next, and generally this mix works well.
It touches upon how British Muslims see themselves, the conflict between religion and culture, growth of fanaticism, resentment against the political establishment and other issues.
A genuinely funny exchange for example goes like this. Two of the prisoners are discussing how ashamed they were to be Asian, when one cites a time when he felt proud. He was watching the BBC programme 'Record-breakers' and a young Sikh kid manages to stump Mr McWhirter, "the cat who knew the answer to everything".
Sonny: I'm sure under his breath he said -
McWhirter: Fucking paki!
Sonny: He was fucked and he knew it! The cat was wriggling about all over the place! ...He couldn't answer the question man! The clever superior white man, stumped by a little Indian boy, by one of us man, that was the day I became proud!
There are many such gems within this play, but it also has its faults. The play is not inhumane to the American soldier or the British Asian woman, and by the end you almost feel sorry for them, leaving the audience in a morally uncertain place.
Weren't we supposed to feel angry at these kids being illegally and unjustly incarcerated in prison? Except I didn't really come out feeling angry, just entertained. There are also quite a few plots to the story, which, if not followed carefully, can leave you confused with the sudden twists at the end.
Nevertheless, The Hot Zone is an excellent attempt at covering a difficult topic within theatre. Dishad Husain did the same with his recent short film Viva Liberty and it always a delight to see such work infused with a healthy dose of comedy.
Hot Zone will play at Warehouse Theatre in Croydon from 18th to 23rd October. More info.
Editor
Soldier: Where in Wolverhampton would I get a surface-to-air missle from?
Iqbal: Pardon?
Soldier: Where would I get a surface-to-air missle from in Wolverhampton!
Iqbal: I swear to God this is a mistake. Honestly, I'm a nice bloke. I've given money to Comic Relief!
When Nirjay Mahindru's second play The Hot Zone opened last week, he was in a jubilant mood. Time Out magazine had given it five stars and made it the pick of the week.
Set in a high-security prison, it centres around three British Asian prisoners who are being questioned by an American soldier and later a British Asian woman from the intelligence services. Not exactly the most uplifting of circumstances, but as the above exchange shows, Mahindru has written it with a good touch of humour.
The Hot Zone is very contemporary and about the only piece of theatre that touches upon the London bombings, albeit briefly. It could be set in Guantanamo Bay, Belmarsh prison or any other high-security prison around the world. The symbolism of a prison is central, the location isn't.
It is based on documents obtained by Guardian journalist Vikram Dodd, who exposed the conditions that British Muslims had to endure in Guantanomo Bay under American supervision. In the play you see the prisoners kept in isolation, tortured, harassed, teased, cajoled and put in all sorts of situations to extract information from them.
It is a psychological battle for both sides. They keep re-evaluating their situations and changing their approaches accordingly, usually with hilarious results.
Sometimes voices on loudspeakers, in a tone similar to that on the London Undergound, say things like: "Terrorists are reminded that smoking is not permitted on any part of this camp."
Hot Zone is a welcome and innovative piece of theatre to London's mix and offers political perspective that Asian theatre usually steers away from. It is very serious one moment and and quite amusing the next, and generally this mix works well.
It touches upon how British Muslims see themselves, the conflict between religion and culture, growth of fanaticism, resentment against the political establishment and other issues.
A genuinely funny exchange for example goes like this. Two of the prisoners are discussing how ashamed they were to be Asian, when one cites a time when he felt proud. He was watching the BBC programme 'Record-breakers' and a young Sikh kid manages to stump Mr McWhirter, "the cat who knew the answer to everything".
Sonny: I'm sure under his breath he said -
McWhirter: Fucking paki!
Sonny: He was fucked and he knew it! The cat was wriggling about all over the place! ...He couldn't answer the question man! The clever superior white man, stumped by a little Indian boy, by one of us man, that was the day I became proud!
There are many such gems within this play, but it also has its faults. The play is not inhumane to the American soldier or the British Asian woman, and by the end you almost feel sorry for them, leaving the audience in a morally uncertain place.
Weren't we supposed to feel angry at these kids being illegally and unjustly incarcerated in prison? Except I didn't really come out feeling angry, just entertained. There are also quite a few plots to the story, which, if not followed carefully, can leave you confused with the sudden twists at the end.
Nevertheless, The Hot Zone is an excellent attempt at covering a difficult topic within theatre. Dishad Husain did the same with his recent short film Viva Liberty and it always a delight to see such work infused with a healthy dose of comedy.
Hot Zone will play at Warehouse Theatre in Croydon from 18th to 23rd October. More info.
