Review: Speed (Bush Theatre)

Review by Sam Waite

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Some art poses questions we anticipate: What does a character’s life mean? How do our youths shape us? Wherefore is he Romeo? Some, however, dares to ask the questions we mere mortals wouldn’t dream of: What if a Greek tragedy had a blimp flying overhead? Can faded star Norma Desmond do the splits? And, in the case of Speed, a world premiere at the Bush Theatre, how absurd and shockingly personal can a DVLA course become before its participants take issue?

CEO and all-around #girlboss Faiza, overworked nurse Harleen, and aspiring-entrepreneur/multi-company courier Samir are at risk of losing their licenses, and it is up to DVLA worker Abz to impart the wisdom they need to avoid repeat offenses. The trio are the first to trial his new programme, the questionably-titled R.U.N.D.I, which aims to tackle the specific behaviours and triggers affecting certain demographics of drivers. As Abz repeatedly leaves the room, fielding calls while instructing the others not to leave, suspicions and stress mount throughout the session.

I found myself reminded of A Chorus Line, in which director Zach forces a group of auditioning dancers to dig deeper and deeper into their histories, while they all simply want to continue doing the only job they know. Abz has detailed notes on what incident granted each participant those fateful points on their license, and is surprisingly ruthless in bringing their reasonings to the surface. Thankfully, Dada brings enough humanity, warmth, and genuine familiarity to these characters for their revelations and realisations not to come through as simply a paint-by-numbers drama. It also helps that these weightier moments are balanced out by just how funny much of his script is, with all three of Abz’s charges a fabulous fool to his perpetual straight-man.

Nikesh Patel proves more than up to the task, giving Abz’s over-enthused demeanour just enough cracks to allow for their expansion throughout the 90-minute show. It is Abz’s job to remain upbeat, focused, and clear in his intentions, and Patel does a fine job of both continuing and catastrophically losing that composure. An immediate comic foil comes in the form of Faiza, played excellently by Shazia Nicholls with the kind of unawareness that requires true intelligence to actually pull off, and a real conviction behind the character’s early efforts to become teacher’s pet. The picture of privilege, Nicholls really sells Faiza’s separation from her heritage in answering the classic Where are you from? question: “St Albans.”

Less eager to please and far more in touch with her roots is Harleen, the overworked nurse brought to life by Sabrina Sandhu with a working-class life and the permanent exhaustion to match. Sandhu’s role seems at first likely to play second fiddle to stronger personalities, but she proves to be capable of stealing her fair share of moments, particularly as her affections for the others grow. Rounding out the quartet is Arian Nik as would-be entrepreneur, car enthusiast, and incorrigible flirt (when it comes to Harleen, anyway) Samir. Tasked with both living up to and counteracting stereotypes about young men in fast cars, Nik brings a terrific number of emotional layers to the role, always able to land physical and verbal humour but more than capable of finding moments of genuine pathos.

Director Milli Bhatia takes advantage of the group’s natural chemistry, opting for a naturalised presentation in Tomás Palmer’s wholly accurate chain-hotel basement. Moments signalling a carefully-buried trauma in Abz’s past allow for a less literal approach, with Bhatia uniting with movement director Theophilus O. Bailey to physicalise his fractured psyche and troubled memories. Admittedly offering little, perhaps no, visual stimuli, Palmer’s set is undeniably believable, accented by a poorly-stocked venting machine, those little paper cones you’re expected to drink water from, and a tank of fish at the far end of the room – “are they piranhas?” Samir asks, met by a flat, “Goldfish.”

Those sequences of relived trauma, one of which begins the performance, are brought to life brilliantly by the team assembled for Speed. Lighting from Jessica Hung Han Yun and sound design from XANA bring to life the impact, the sheer horror, of a high-speed collision, while Bailey and Bhatia help to manoeuvre Patel through these moments. Elsewhere, fight director Bret Yount succeeds in crafting a punch so realistic I question how it was faked so effectively with the audience so close – perhaps those sat on the other side found it less realistic, but from my seat it was viscerally believable. A final production nod must go to DMLK Video, for helping to create the awkward, hilarious, and oh-so-familiar video used to explain the goals of the session.

Tackling issues around racial profiling, biased views, and views against one’s own community, Speed manages to not be too preachy, not overwhelm its messages with humour, and not let those same messages sap away the enjoyment. Admittedly there are leaps of logic involved, and the finale may come across to some as too open-ended to be fully effective, but Mohamed-Zain Dada’s play about fast-moving, hot-headed drivers made to sit with their mistakes has more than enough heart, wit, humour, and humanity to overtake any minor quibbles.

Speed plays at the Bush Theatre until May 17th

For tickets and information visit https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/speed/

Photos by Richard Lakos