Review: INSANE ASYLUM SEEKERS, Bush Theatre

Laith’s parents have survived unimaginable atrocities in order to save themselves and give him a better chance, yet he struggles. This exploration of the personal consequences of the Arab diaspora cracks open the constant compromising of immigrant children. Emily Ling Williams directs Tommy Sim’aan in Laith Elzubaidi’s tender, amusing, and thoroughly thought-provoking award-winning solo play. It’s a funny, politically charged tearjerker.

With invigorating anti-colonialism, Elzubaidi dips in and out of British-Iraqi relations to paint the grim picture of an(other) occupied land. He ties the events to his private world, describing the continuous invasions, the carpet bombings, Britain’s murderous self-righteousness, Alastair Campbell’s involvement and the subsequent cruelty. Sim’aan delivers a gripping, reactive performance where moments of abject horror are dissipated by huge charisma and excellent writing. Masterful oscillations in tone and a splendid direction carry a piece built on personality, eloquence, and elegant colloquialisms. 

The bleak, cutting reality of war swings into darkly comic sequences and tongue-in-cheek segues. We’re introduced to his dad, proud and stubborn even during a heart attack, and his mum, who, with her obsession with knowing where her passport is at any moment and her habit of hurling crisps to seagulls, remains a mystery to Laith. The political rundown keeps giving context, with Elzubaidi’s remarks acting like explanations and elucidations when it comes to his family’s outlook on life. Sim’aan becomes one with the aftershocks of a country his character didn't visit until his adult years.

Elzubaidi’s childhood stories are, though always laced with humour, incredibly touching (everything involving his cousin is a hoot). Then, when you wouldn’t think it possible, he amps up the depth even more. The intrusive thoughts begin and we discover his battle with OCD. It combines with the contradictions that come with complying with the country who wilfully exterminated his people (“Some of your friends and family murdered some of my friends and family”). With pitch-perfect comic timing, we go deeper, finding more layers to this already astonishing play about generational trauma. 

At a time when the PM is one degree away from regurgitating Enoch Powell, Insane Asylum Seekers becomes prime viewing. Elzubaidi is unafraid of calling out Britain’s imperialistic patterns and methods of injustice, putting on trial the shameless cruelties perpetrated against the innocent. In addition to its material, Sim’aan is mesmerising in it. This show is worth the hype.