Review: DUBAILAND, Finborough Theatre

Out goes the American Dream, and in its place is the Arabian Dream - but is everything as perfect as it seems? Carmen Nasr's Dubailand, currently playing in rep with Run The Beast at Finborough Theatre, attempts to look behind the glossy brochures at the human stories in the city of Dubai.

The play follows two sides of the same story, taking different perspectives into consideration: the rich and the poor. Jamie (Nicholas Banks) is working for a construction company that's overseeing the building of a skyscraper which will be full of apartments for the well-moneyed. He has the idea to livestream the work for their clients and is put in charge of that particular project.

Whilst out in Dubai he runs into an old journalist friend, Clara, who is investigating the working conditions of the city alongside her magazine assignment. People like Amar (Adi Chugh) have moved from India to provide for their families; it's true that they have escaped from worse, but it still leaves much to be desired. The workers are all tired and disillusioned, but see no way out.

Early scenes are quite short, so it takes a little while for the play to gain momentum and make it clear what direction it will be taking. Once it does get going it's engaging, becoming more so as the two storylines converge. However, given its short and snappy nature, plus its 90-minute running time, there isn't quite enough time to become fully invested in the characters themselves - this is an aspect that needs a bit more expansion.

As such, there are no real standout performances from the cast of eight, although Nicholas Banks and Miztli Rose Neville as Jamie and Clara have some fiery exchanges as the latter tries to find the friend she used to know. It's nice to note a 50:50 gender split in the cast, as well as diversity in terms of the actors' ethnicities.

The layout is interesting, with two blocks of seating set at right angles from one another. This actually allows for some pretty decent views and, along with the lit-up poles in the background and transparent cubes used as seats, gives a futuristic feel that is in keeping with the developers' view of Dubai in the play.

The days of empires may be long gone, but what Dubailand suggests is that the West has simply found an alternative way of colonising developing countries. The rich getting richer and the poor taking the consequences seems to have perpetual relevance, no matter what country it's set in.

But what could be a largely doom and gloom affair is presented smartly with a wicked sense of humour. It would benefit from a little more development, but the concept is a good one - and it's certainly interesting to shine a light on a place that still holds an air of mystery for many of us.

Dubailand is at Finborough Theatre until 21 February

Picture credit: Tim Hall

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