Review: FOAL, Finborough Theatre

TITAS HALDER's new play Foal is named after some of the night terrors that visit his protagonist as he sinks into a mental black hole. A study of personal relationships and a fight to find compassion in an often hostile world, we follow A.K., a man recalling and reliving sections of his life as his demons close in on him.

A.K. lives on an island with his family and is one of only two Asian children in his school; the other boy is nicknamed Mowgli by a teacher and A.K. is happy to laugh along with his classmates to avoid any unwelcome attention. His childhood, teens and adulthood are punctuated by an undercurrent of racism which, along with a highly problematic relationship with his mother, combine to create a turmoil in his mind that has devastating consequences.

Amar Chadha-Patel is best known for his work on Netflix's The Decameron and Disney+'s Willow. Here he makes a remarkable stage debut as A.K., commanding the small space, pacing around to reflect the turmoil in his mind. He is utterly convincing as a young boy mucking around playing football, a teenager with a huge crush on his friend and then as an increasingly disillusioned adult who struggles to find his place in the world. Chadha-Patel makes constant eye contact with the audience, drawing them into his discomfort and making them understand his joys and his pain. It's a mesmerising performance.

In a straight-through 90 minutes, Halder creates a full and sympathetic character; as a boy, A.K. loves cricket and chatting with his dad over a hot Ribena. At 14, he feels complete betrayal and devastation when his Best Friend Katie begins a relationship with his nemesis Max. He leaves the island he has grown up on to work in London, finding satisfaction in the heat of a professional kitchen. But the racism he experiences, some casual, some highly targetted, impact on him deeply. His mother is distant and emotionally abusive, leading to a profound sense of self-doubt and a visceral lack of worth.

Halder's writing deftly demonstrates the gradual fracturing of A.K.'s sense of self and grasp on reality. It is not always clear what is truth and what is reality, as A.K. becomes an increasingly unreliable narrator due to the breakdown of his mental capacity. Despite the darkness of the subject, there is also much humour in the production, albeit often of the blackest kind.

Annie Kershaw's direction shows deep understanding with the work of both the writer and the actor, with thoughtful ebbs and flows in the pace. Use of a stand microphone distinguishes the voices of other characters effectively and the small space of the Finborough only enhances the increasing sense of claustrophobia and unease.

Huge credit must also go to Pierre Flasse's compulsive sound design and composition which has a near-constant presence in the production and gives an almost filmic quality to many scenes. Rajiv Pattani's atmospheric lighting makes clever use of a street light, a backlit screen and a small orb to convey everywhere from the seashore, to a dingy flat, to a Spanish tapas bar.

As West End theatre prices escalate ever higher, credit must be given more than ever for those who can pull off extraordinary theatre in tiny spaces, with few resources. Foal is a captivating and compelling production that deserves a much bigger audience.

Read our Guest Blog from writer TITAS HALDER about the show here.

Foal is at the Finborough Theatre until 30 May

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