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Review: You Bury Me, Orange Tree Theatre

Author: Dave B in Drama, Fringe Theatre, Reviews 3 April 2023 0 1,084 Views

Cairo, 2011: The Arab Spring has led to hundreds of thousands of Egyptians gathering and protesting in the streets. It would also lead to revolution, coup d'état and counter-revolution. Along the way was violence and oppression. Cairo 2015: You Bury Me tells the story of six young people living and loving through those dangerous times. Each aspect of their lives brings danger to them, with their beliefs and their dreams not fitting in with the dictator; the tyranny that they live under. Romance must be kept secret, crossing religious or gender lines leads to fear of discovery and persecution.…

Summary

Rating

Excellent

Coming of age in an oppressive regime, played out by a wonderful cast.

Cairo, 2011: The Arab Spring has led to hundreds of thousands of Egyptians gathering and protesting in the streets. It would also lead to revolution, coup d’état and counter-revolution. Along the way was violence and oppression.

Cairo 2015: You Bury Me tells the story of six young people living and loving through those dangerous times. Each aspect of their lives brings danger to them, with their beliefs and their dreams not fitting in with the dictator; the tyranny that they live under. Romance must be kept secret, crossing religious or gender lines leads to fear of discovery and persecution. Parts of their lives mirror what we would consider a normal teenage experience: movies and music, smoking a joint, thinking constantly about sex and looking for any opportunity to move from fantasy to reality. But this is all under an oppressive dictatorship where the danger of getting caught is a lot more than a stern lecture. These stories weave together, linking both the characters and the pervading oppression of military control. Everything is a challenge, everything brings fear.

Performed in the standard Orange Tree Theatre round, moving blocks and trolleys become desk and school benches and twirl in and around; a very simple but quite effective set from Sara Perks. Above the stage hang concrete blocks, their heavy, dangerous weight overshadowing everything and everyone. The cast are all marvellous, working together as an ensemble first, to introduce the setting and to remind us of the Arab Spring. In a fast-paced opening narration, they move in and out and through the trolleys. Settling into their characters, they bring us their loves and lives and the fear that they live under. It might be one thing for a teenager to be afraid of someone walking in on some heavy petting, it’s another when it is fear of violent and oppressive secret police. Given the great work by all the cast, it may be a little churlish to highlight just one, but Yasemin Özdemir brings a beautiful energy to Maya, positively fizzing around the stage.

Written by Ahlam, who prefers to remain anonymous, You Bury Me won The Women’s Prize for Writing in 2020 and feels like her complex love letter to Cairo, the city sometimes almost playing a seventh character. Talk of its atmosphere and oppression mixes with the opportunities for watching censored movies or finding hash – the city has many layers. We also hear it throughout, from a constant soundtrack. Music composed by Kareem Samara and sound design by Adam P McCready includes snippets of pop culture, with notable appearances by Celine Dion and Pink Floyd. Music is important to these young people, not least of all as moving and dancing is more opportunity for flirting.

There is good humour here, and the coming-of-age stories allow for comedy as teenagers discover the realities of sex. One particular internet-inspired rumour running into reality causes hilarity. It brings us closer to the characters: we may not be able to closely relate to life in an oppressive regime but as teenagers, we had some of the same challenges and fears.

Katie Posner’s direction of the ensemble is strong throughout but notably towards the end, when the six lives move apart. The choreography, with movement direction by Annie-Lunette Deakin-Foster, is striking as it shows people vanishing. Left to wonder what happened to their friends and the thousands of others who have disappeared, there is still a vision of the future with hope.

You Bury Me highlights how, despite receiving extensive media coverage at the time, the Arab Spring may have faded from the memory of many here in the UK. We don’t see much coverage of it anymore and it seems a long time ago in a faraway place. The play shows that hope, love, and joy still exist in the lives of its young characters even in a difficult context, and invites the audience to join them on an evening in Cairo, accessible via the District Line to Richmond.

Written by: Ahlam
Directed by: Katie Posner
Design by: Sara Perks
Lighting Design by: Aideen Malone
Sound Design by: Adam P McCready
Composed by: Kareem Samara
Movement Direction by: Annie-Lunette Deakin-Foster

You Bury Me plays at the Orange Tree Theatre until 22 April. Further information and tickets can be found here

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About Dave B

Originally from Dublin but having moved around a lot, Dave moved to London, for a second time, in 2018. He works for a charity in the Health and Social Care sector. He has a particular interest in plays with an Irish or New Zealand theme/connection - one of these is easier to find in London than the other! Dave made his (somewhat unwilling) stage debut via audience participation on the day before Covid lockdowns began. He believes the two are unrelated but is keen to ensure no further audience participation... just to be on the safe side.
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