When Akram’s mobile phone messes up his diary and erroneously shows his location as Berlin, he finds himself connected to ideas of memory, homeland and identity.
As he anxiously paces, he explains that he is not in fact German but British, Bangladeshi, Filipino and finds that the help desk operator is a 12-year old in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
And with that he is transported back to the Bangladesh to which he was taken as a child. He steps into a cacophony of bells and horns, chaotic traffic and teeming hot streets peopled by beggars and sādhus, the Hindu holy men. He becomes all of these, and more, as he fluidly weaves and circles, stepping into their characters.
This is not his homeland but that of his father. With a crouch and the magical use of greasepaint he becomes his father, a small man with small hands, rooted in this land and nourished by it as he takes on the big task of feeding 200 villagers. The technique used to portray his parent is both effective and delightful, and the younger members of the audience are already won over. But the magic has only just begun as the dancer steps into the intricate projected forest full of animals to follow his mother’s tale of young Shonu, the honey collector.
Akram’s father has no time for all this daydreaming and back in Britain he wishes that the fidgety child, always on the move and at odds with him, would grow up to help and respect him. To face the real world. But that will need to be of Akram’s making - to establish his identity and find his own way; his own story.
This production brings together dance, storytelling, projection and music to create a magical tale of discovery, heritage and identity. The lush visuals and score provide a backdrop for the athletic and precise choreography in a fusion of the classical Kathak and modern dance techniques.
Superbly executed, this is a fantastic introduction to the magic of theatre and dance and, even when the narrative was less obvious, the younger members of the audience remained entranced.
The end of the piece sees Akram helped back into his rightful place by his memory of Goddess Bonbibi, the lady of the forest. With the aid of the Bangladeshi help desk, connections are made.
Performance Times: 13 and 14 August 2016 at 2pm and 7pm
Tickets: £20. Under 18s £10 (discounts available).
Suitability: For children 7+