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Bitesize Festival
With its strong hip-hop beats and tackling a subject that deserves to be spoken about, Bacha Posh is a musical that could develop into something much bigger. Summary
Rating
Good
Bacha posh is the practice of raising a daughter as a son, usually when a family has no male offspring. In some cultures it allows them to lead a very different life; attending school, working, even escorting sisters in public. It sounds bizarre, but when we have societies where females are considered inferior and simply property, it’s no surprise that such things happen. It’s also unsurprising that the phrase is considered Afghanistan in origin, a country where the Taliban holds power and has even removed the right to education from women.
Bacha Posh Hip-Hop Musical is certainly a title that suggests more fun than is found in the seriousness of this definition. And it does a fine job of balancing that seriousness with the entertainment and energy you’d expect from a hip-hop musical. DJ Koray lays down some wonderful beats, mixing high energy dance with Middle Eastern sounds, accompanied by writer and composer Onur Ali Yuce on saxophone. Because who doesn’t love a little sax in their musicals?
The basic story is that found in many shows – a love triangle, albeit with a few more complications in this one. Aaina (Kye Li Ong) is, at her father’s behest, the bacha posh, sent out in the world as a boy. Here she meets Neash (Henry Chandler) and Feta (Jarhys Greenidge), both of whom soon realise she is not quite what she claims to be, both falling for her. But Aaina only has feelings for Neash, and so the rejected Feta plans his revenge, made easy in a society where the morality police hold power, and where unmarried men and women cannot be alone together.
It’s a powerful plot, as we move quickly from first love to arrest and worse. If anything, we move too quickly, leaving not enough time to really explore what it means to be bacha posh. We are left with a good understanding of the risks women face everyday in countries controlled by religious zealots, but not quite the tale that Yuce probably initially aimed for. Saying that, his explanation at the curtain call that it is based on a true story can alter your perception.
It is let down slightly by sound imbalances, making lyrics hard to decipher at times, especially from Ong. Her singing sounds muted in places, sitting under DJ Koray’s beats rather than above them. It’s a shame as it does mean it’s easy to miss hearing her early on, when she sings about being bacha posh.
But outside of this, the show offers plenty of promise and enjoyment. Greenidge especially seems to relish his role as the spurned third wheel. He delivers his part with real energy and venom, spitting out his anger. He leaves it easy to believe that much of the problem of religious zealotry stems from jealousy and bitterness – a fine line between fighting for morals and being an incel!
The stage is nicely split into three separate spaces, divided by bars, easily conveying the prison cells that are both metaphorical for Aaina as well as literal later on. They also allow the three performers their own space to work, creating a good visual effect.
Bacha Posh Hip-hop Musical is a fascinating idea, deserving to be put on stage and offering a chance to learn about a cultural phenomenon that could do with greater exposure. Even with its powerful, engaging music and thought provoking subject matter, it’s still a show that might not quite meet its brief yet, but it would be easy to see it doing so in a later incarnation. Riverside Studio’s Bitesize Festival is certainly a great place for it to start finding its feet.
Written and composed by: Onur Ali Yuce
Co-produced by: Lori Parker
Bacha Posh Hip-hop Musical played at Riverside Studios as part of the Bitesize Festival.
