Blue Mist

Review by Penny

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Aspiring journalist Jihad and his friends come together in their home from home, Chunkyz Shisha Lounge. When Jihad receives an opportunity to make a documentary and give a voice to his community, he grapples with the reality of what it will take to have his, and their, voice heard.

Mohamed-Zain Dada’s script beautifully resonates with those who relate to the characters and communities represented, and warmly invites in those who don’t. It loses its way a little with Jihad’s character arc: perhaps the result of movement-heavy montages that are interesting to watch but not the most affecting, and a lack of context built up earlier in the play, Jihad ends up an obvious villain of the piece, rather than a complex and flawed person. Regardless, Dada’s writing is warm, witty, and grounded in a charming realism, though does become rather expositional towards the end. In a moment that breaks from realism and takes away Jihad’s voice, we, too, are left speechless at this profoundly staged metaphor.

Unfortunately, the performances don’t quite manage to do the script justice. Though we see glimpses of heartbreaking rawness from Azan Ahmed, and some clear comic potential in Kashif Ghole, ultimately, we aren’t drawn into the very real characters that have been penned by Dada. The multi-roling as media executives is also largely ineffective, due in part to performance but also a lack of technical input to clearly distinguish who these characters are. Sanjeev Bhaskar’s vocal performance as Chunky is delightful and immediately brings a tragic warmth into the space.

Staging the full play around the shisha lounge, its sunken sofas literally embedded into the set, is an inspired choice from Tomás Palmer, keeping this heart of community at the heart of our story. With further nuanced direction and lighting choices that play more with the separation and invasion of the space, this has the potential to be an incredibly moving backdrop for this play.

An incredibly important and powerful story, in need of a little more nuance to pack its fullest punch, Blue Mist is worth keeping an eye on as it continues its theatrical journey.