Review: SPEED, Bush Theatre
Photo credit: Richard Lakos
Three speedsters are summoned to attend a speed awareness course that alters their lives forever. Given a stark choice - confront their anger or lose their licenses - they embark on a chaotic yet enlightening journey through their past, present, and future. What unfolds is an unexpected group therapy session fuelled by frustration, trauma, and just the right amount of absurdity.
Set in the basement of a Holiday Inn in Birmingham, the play introduces us to three reckless drivers: Faiza (Shazia Nicholls), Samir (Arian Nik), and Harleen (Sabrina Sandhu). They’re greeted by Abz (Nikesh Patel), a fast-talking and overly zealous instructor who claims he can reform them. Each character carries a backstory that justifies their road rage - from Faiza’s thwarted business deal to Harleen’s exhaustion as an overworked nurse to Samir’s desperate response to racial abuse.
What starts as a comically intense presentation quickly veers into something far more personal. Abz uses every method at his disposal - lecture, role play, metaphorical car crashes - to draw out their emotional baggage. Jessica Hung Han Yun’s lighting and XANA’s sound design keep the energy high and the atmosphere electric, offering a visual and auditory pulse that matches the characters’ internal states.
Abz’s motivations take a darker turn when an email from the DVLA reveals their session was never officially scheduled. Slowly, we learn that Abz is no instructor, but a man consumed by his own unresolved grief and rage - having caused a fatal accident that claimed his wife’s life seven years earlier. The twist is powerful, though the pacing leading up to it feels slightly prolonged, reducing its impact. Patel plays Abz with nuance, but the emotional payoff doesn’t quite hit the speed it’s aiming for.
Arian Nik gives a standout performance as Samir, delivering sharp comic timing and emotional depth. His character arc is one of the more fully realised, culminating in a direct confrontation with Abz over his internalised racism and institutional bias. The moment is moving and pertinent, and while the script touches on big themes, it could benefit from digging deeper into this particular thread.
Shazia Nicholls is a comedic force as Faiza, portraying a character whose blend of self-delusion and ambition brings some of the show’s funniest moments. Sabrina Sandhu, as Harleen, emerges as a quiet powerhouse in the latter half - initially reserved, she ultimately reveals emotional weight and strength in her performance.
The play walks a careful line between introspection and comedy. Some jokes don’t quite land in the first half, and there are moments where it feels hesitant to fully commit to its darker themes. Still, the sincerity of the performances, coupled with sharp observational writing and thematic relevance, make this a highly watchable production.
Speed awareness has never been this emotionally charged - or this funny.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Aleeza Humranwala
Speed plays at London’s Bush Theatre until 17 May, with further info here.
