Review: EXPENDABLE, Royal Court Theatre
Photo credit: Isha Shah
David Byrne’s inaugural season as Artistic Director at the Royal Court has been nothing short of triumphant. Rounding off this exceptional season of sold-out shows and a West End transfer is Emteaz Hussain’s Expendable - a thoroughly incisive interrogation of moral hypocrisy, that champions the voices of British Pakistani women.
Pillar of the community and exemplary British Pakistani mother Zara Sharif (Avita Jay) and her conventional and controlled life are plunged into chaos in the fallout of the sexual abuse scandal that erupted in the North of England in 2011.
The arrival of her outspoken sister and near-pariah Yasmin (Lena Kaur) adds fuel to broiling conflict that emerges between faith, religion, culture, and community.
Hussain weaves an intricate and ugly web of insidious exploitation that links both white and Pakistani men together in misogyny. The crux of Hussain’s drama is that the offstage male violence and clashing of communities ultimately shifts focus away from the young female victims. It seems that, thirteen years on from this blot on British legal history, squabbling and squalling men drowning out the voices of women is still as exhaustingly relatable as ever.
The onstage drama unfolds in Zara’s kitchen, and the detail in Natasha Jenkins’ set reaches all four walls of the theatre, immersing the audience and forcing us, like the prying eyes of the media, into the Sharifs’ private domestic space. There is a lot of powerful symbolism in this kitchen-theatre – a traditionally female domain that has been invaded and violated by men, but over the course of the play reveals itself to be a nexus of soft power, support and nourishment.
Emteaz’s script is thoughtfully formed, poignant and well-rounded in its arguments. There are moments when the direction and delivery lets the dialogue down – emotional beats are skipped over and much of the play is performed at the same pitch. There is little to no sense of subtext in many of the performances, which is a real shame given the weight of world-building and context that the playwright has delivered in her text.
Expendable remains, however, a nuanced and worthy Royal Court debut for Emteaz Hussain – important for all audiences to see.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Livvy Perrett
Expendable plays at the Royal Court until 21 December, with further info here.
