The Real Ones
Rating: ★★★
Venue: Bush Theatre, London
Cast: Nathaniel Curtis, Mariam Haque, Nnabiko Ejimofor and Anthony Howell

The new play from Olivier Award winner Waleed Akhtar, starring Nathaniel Curtis (It’s A Sin) and Mariam Haque (Black Mirror). The Real Ones, is a funny and honest love letter to platonic soulmates. The world premiere production comes from the team behind the Olivier Award-winning sensation, The P Word, reuniting writer Waleed Akhtar and director Anthony Simpson Pike.

We’ve all been there. A friendship grows and then disintegrates as we grow into adulthood. This dilemma lies at the heart of The Real Ones, as the protagonists’ friendship is challenged when life gets busy and therefore gets in the way of maintaining their close bond. Waleed Akhtar’s play explores the relationship between Muslim Pakistani pals Zaid and Neelam, both aspiring playwrights who both seek to break away from their parents but want their approval at the same time. Zaid (Nathaniel Curtis) is a naïve optimist, desperate to be loved and have the freedom to love as an openly gay man, while Neelam (Mariam Haque) is more direct and quick-witted, going from a jaded young adult to a married woman and new mum.

There was a strong chemistry between Zaid and Neelam, with the audience rooting for the friendship throughout. We see them keeping secrets from parents, and each other, enjoying the freedom to make their own choices and love who they want, but with the weight and pressure of their upbringing and desire for parental approval. Two supporting characters feature, Zaid’s aloof lecturer and older boyfriend Jeremy, and Neelam’s partner, Deji, who becomes frustrated with societal pressures affecting his relationship. Both of these characters lacked development in parts, perhaps intentionally, in order to keep the focus on the protagonists’ friendship, but it felt as if there was opportunity for these to be further explored.

The Real Ones had a really strong opening, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and quick remarks, and the opening scene of the pair dancing in a nightclub was repeated throughout various scene changes, marking the passage of time, though this got slightly repetitive towards the end. With a running time of 2 hours, the play itself would have perhaps benefited from being 20-30 minutes shorter, as the sharpness of the plot started to lack towards the end.

Overall, Nathaniel Curtis and Mariam Haque deliver gripping performances, offering a reflection of British society and its biases and tolerances that are often masked or left undiscussed. Anisha Fields’ stripped back set design consisted of a carpeted circular stage, with the audience watching on from three sides. With this set design and Simpson Pike’s direction, our focus remained firmly fixed on the actors throughout, while Christopher Nairne’s flashing lights helped to effectively depict rapid scene changes.

Despite flaws in some areas and room for some characters and themes to be further developed, The Real Ones felt like a refreshing reflection on a familiar scenario for so many of us - a love letter to platonic soulmates, as we navigate changing relationships and adult life throws up all sorts of challenges, causing our lives to go in different directions. This is a show with real promise. 

You can book tickets to The Real Ones, here.

Review by Vickie 

**photo credit: Helen Murray**