Outsiders
By Emteaz Hussain
Directed by Fraser Corfield
Presented by Pilot Theatre in collaboration with the University of York
and ATYP (Australian Theatre for Young People)
13th October - 17th October 2015
Reviewed by
Prior to the opening scene, before the curtains to the entrance to the
venue are closed, a figure bathed in shadow behind a prop slowly moves
around, while the other character in the production looks towards the
audience while picking up papers from the floor of the stage.
It was written in homage to Albert Camus's L'Etranger -The Stranger -
(also called the Outsiders), written in 1942, in which the main character,
a French Algerian called Meursault, narrates an account of a series of
events which resulted in the apparently random murder of an unnamed Algerian
Arab, who is referred to as 'The Arab.' He is accused of the murder and
executed.
Emteaz Hussain presents a new version of this novel, inspired by the
original text.
This adaptation relates to various incidents, images and narrative from
the original text in a somewhat piecemeal way but still appropriate to
the Camus novel.
Marie (Lou Broadbent), Mersault's girlfriend, and Sumaya (Sara Sadeghi)
are both charismatic on stage, often trading highly emotional tirades
against each other, including when the fact is revealed that they had
both had sex with the same man.
Despite the complexity of the story - I heard one audience member remarking
as he was leaving the venue ' I only began to understand the story halfway
through' - they both convey the many layers of the novel with conviction
and passion.
As director Fraser Corfield pointed out, when talking about this production,
"If you look at the novel and its original significance, then you
look at the world that we're living in now and think about someone killing
an Arab and the repercussions of that."
There was a Q & A session following the twilight version I saw. Unfortunately
I was unable to stay. It would have been rewarding to discover the reasons
for Emteaz Hussain writing this new version, and the two actors views
on participating in it.
Outsiders goes on tour to various venues in the UK until the end of November.
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