Review: OUR WHITE SKODA OCTAVIA, Eastern Angles (Livestream)

Following the Afridi family in the East of England, Our White Skoda Octavia tells the life story of Amjad and Rabia and their two children Faisal and Yasmin. Set to the gentle beat of a tabla drumscape, the story takes us through over a decade of family life. The tale follows the family through their struggles through the mundane, whilst also touching on the stereotypes and microaggressions forced upon them because of their Pakistani heritage. The show aims to bring audiences a story about dealing with common issues faced by most such as health, money, and identity issues, and aspires to highlight an Asian story not told through stereotypes or heavily focusing on the particular obstacles experienced by the Asian community, but tells a story which can be universally related to.

Whilst writer Shamser Sinha’s dramaturgical intentions hold strong and the cast do their utmost to bring audiences into the Afridi family’s life, unfortunately the writing itself lets the show down. With such a long timeframe to fit into only a couple of hours, we found that the storyline lacks development and doesn’t allow for us to fully connect, jumping rather jarringly through the four characters’ individual struggles and with the cast taking on multiple characters, it is difficult at times to fully understand the plot. Whilst the set is very innovative, at times it makes following the story confusing, relying on character dialogue to announce we have moved location.

We did catch this show through a livestream from the show’s performance at the St. John Mill’s Theatre in Ipswich which, with the camera losing focus a lot throughout the performance and some internet connection issues, does not help with the lack of connection issue so Besties, we would definitely recommend catching the show in person and really being able to immerse yourself in the story. The story’s themes of inclusivity and relation hold true throughout and are made even more apparent with the inclusion of a BSL interpretation, performed both live and included in the livestream, which we think is a lovely touch to bring theatre to sadly often overlooked communities.

Overall, whilst the writing hindered the full potential of the show’s underlying message, we still feel that it is a lovely piece of theatre that encourages its audience to look past the way someone looks or where they come from to see that everybody faces very similar problems and to remember to show kindness to everybody you encounter.

** Two stars

Reviewed by: Natalie Pedro

Our White Skoda Octavia tours until 6 November, with tickets available here.