East is East review, National Theatre: Fresher today than a quarter of a century ago

Revival of Ayub Khan Din’s landmark play is flawless staged for its 25th anniversary

Sophie Stanton and Tony Jayawardena in ‘East Is East' (Pamela Raith Photography)

It’s been 25 years since the landmark play East is East was first staged at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre. Set in 1970s Salford, it sees the British Pakistani Khan family battle with their in-between identities and struggle to find their cultural place in the world. Revived for its anniversary in co-production with the National Theatre, it feels fresher today than it did a quarter of a century ago.

We meet the Khans in their Seventies-style living room, designed by Bretta Gerecke. Their fading home is decorated with retro patterned wallpaper, a tiny kingdom for patriarch George to govern. In a desperate attempt to keep his children connected to their Pakistani heritage, he rules that they must have arranged marriages and follow his demands with respect. “I’m their father, they will do as I say,” he roars.

Embodied by Tony Jayawardena with stage-commanding vigour, George jolts from comedic father figure to bullish and violent monster with ease. But despite his deep-rooted flaws, there is a tenderness to George that makes him loveable. His conversations with his English wife Ella, played stoically by Sophie Stanton, are filled with obvious fondness – the repeated response of “half a cup” to her offer of tea is a sweet insight into the habits of their 25-year marriage. It is in these moments of familial conversation where East is East is at its best.

It’s testament to the strength of Ayub Khan Din’s writing that these characters feel just as real in 2021 as they did in 1996. Each child is played with an authentic sense of power – Amy-Leigh Hickman’s Meena steals the limelight with her wayward confidence, while Noah Manzoor is instantly endearing as the parka-wearing youngest child Sajit. As he scurries across the stage, suffering through the constant taunts of his older siblings, it is hard not to warm to him. Whatever your heritage, this picture of a slightly dysfunctional family is immensely relatable.

Noah Manzoor’s Sajit (Pamela Raith Photography)

In this magnetic revival, the Khans’ world never becomes tiring. Scene changes are slickly punctuated by a mix of Bhangra and drum and bass, while large screens resembling Polaroid photo frames show a changing album of pictures above the stage. Confusions over identity haven’t got any simpler since East is East was first staged, and with its return to the stage, it’s hard not to question whether anything has really changed. Would the Khans feel any more accepted in Britain today? The answer is uncertain, but East is East is an eruption of a show that forces us to consider it.

‘East is East’ runs at the National Theatre until 30 October