Review: BROWN BOYS SWIM, Pleasance Dome - Jack Dome
A moving, funny show about friendship, race and swimming
To tell the truth, this show surprised me. I had an idea it was about two boys learning to swim but I had no idea how thoughtful, moving and funny it would be.
Moshen and Kash are two boys, on the verge of leaving school, who (reluctantly) get invited to the biggest party of the year: Jess's Pool Party. The thing is, they can't swim. Studious and reserved Moshen and funny, energy-filled Kash, set out to teach themselves at the locally run pool. But this story is about so much more.
They have to deal with everyday racism, some subtle, some less so. Their brown bodies at the pool and an incident at a shopping centre (as they try to buy the most comically small speedos), show us the world they inhabit, a world that is not kind to young, Muslim boys.
However, the production goes deeper still. The ending is sombre and moving and I know I wasn't the only audience member with a tear in my eye. In addition, the soundtrack is brilliantly put together and the choreography of these young men at a swimming pool is clever and deftly done. At times I almost forgot there wasn't real water there.
Overall, this is a beautiful production and a must-see for this year's Edinburgh Fringe.
Brown Boys Swim is at The Pleasance Dome - Jack Dome until August 28
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