Theatre

Soho Theatre O-WE

When one of Hassan Abdulrazzak’s characters asks why all Iraqis in London are either doctors or engineers, one instantly thinks of those doctors being tracked down by the police right now. However, it takes an Iraqi to focus on those Westernised, middle-class exiles who enjoy a drink and a spliff and have largely been ignored by the media.

His play has its clumsy and improbable moments, but between the plotlines there are fascinating, sometimes humorous, insights into life back home,  where the returning exiles – who have dreamed of sleeping as they once did on the rooftops under the stars – struggle to adapt to changing circumstances.

Salim, a charismatic bisexual writer, whose latest book is called ‘Masturbating Angels’, stubbornly refuses to feel obliged to write about the political situation. He welcomes the arrival of the Americans and even suggests that Abu Ghraib is blown up out of all proportion. As the playwright switches between 1998 and 2005, we see how Nitzan Sharron’s shy narrator hero worships his friend, but also how he falls for Luma, a medical student with an affection for Johnnie Walker. When she returns home, she wears a headscarf, a practice she defends by saying that principles matter little if ‘you virtually have an orgasm every time you hear the whirl of electricity turning back on’.

Salim insists on celebrating his wedding day at Habbaniya, an idyllic spot once popular for picnics, but the celebratory firing of guns attracts the wrath of the Americans. Abdulrazzak goes on to show that if you humiliate people enough even the most hedonistic can be turned into vengeful monsters.

His play is often very touching and director Lisa Goldman deftly manages the changes in tone and in atmosphere. Rather like Salam Pax’s blog, it’s a welcome reminder of those who are caught between the insurgents and the Americans, even when it makes for uncomfortable viewing.