Phizzical Productions announces the 2024 tour of Olivier Award nominated play ’10 nights.’
A one-man show starring Azan Ahmed (What’s Love Got To Do With It andThe Father & The Assassin), written by Offies award finalist Shahid Iqbal Khan (Stardust) and directed by Phizzical founder Samir Bhamra (Bombay Superstar, Stardust and Bring on the Bollywood).
Right from the outset, audiences are immersed into the world of Yasser, a young Muslim male embarking on his first spiritual journey as he takes part in his first I’tikaf, sleeping and fasting at the mosque for the last ten days of Ramadan, he soon regrets his decision. But as he navigates smug worshippers, shared bathrooms and recurring thoughts of chunky chips, Yasser’s isolation forces him to confront a side of himself he’s been trying to keep hidden. Azan delivers a fantastic performance as Yasser and the many characters that are influential in his life, keeping the audiences engaged, laughing and sympathetic to his emotions. The story is told beautifully in English, with Urdu and Arabic references as well as screen subtitles and creative narrations and movement descriptions by Azan himself. Azan switches from character to character with ease, easily identifiable through a change of accent, dialect and posture. The prayers he recites are fluent and delivered with a sense of pride and respect for Islam. The lighting, sound and props are weaved in creatively adding to the immersive experience. The play is certainly one everyone must watch, it clearly depicts a story that is relatable, of course to British South Asians but also to those facing challenges going from those important childhood to adulthood years, questioning identity and what is expected of them. The play has challenged the narrative often given to Muslim stories shown on stage and screen and provides a learning experience and appreciation for those that take part in I’tikaf.
’10 nights,’ was developed through the Write to Play programme by Graeae Theatre Company. It was originally co-produced by Graeae and Tamasha, in association with the Bush Theatre in 2021.
Press night took place on Friday 9th February at Omnibus Theatre and the play ended with a standing ovation from the audiences.
For more information and to check out the tour dates please visit https://www.phizzical.com/
