My Brother’s Country

Back in pre-revolution Iran, a place far more westernised than we might think, one of the biggest stars of the 1970s was Fereydoun Farrokhzad, pop singer, poet, writer, TV personality and homosexual.

That he was not ashamed of this was quite something but, when the revolution happened in 1979, he was forced to flee to Germany. For years he remained outspoken about his opposition to the Iranain regime, producing radio shows and, during a concert at London's Albert Hall, openly criticising Khomeini for which he received death threats.

He was found stabbed to death, reportedly beheaded, in his German apartmenet, a crime which remains unsolved.

This bold play by new theatre company Soroush, is told with a cinematic physical language, a heightened poetic text and a newly commissioned score by a contemporary electronic composer.