10 Nights is a funny and earnest play that sadly fails to live up to its full potential. The play follows Yasser, played by Adeel Ali, who decides to undertake I’tikaf, a 10-day period of isolation, prayer and spiritual cleansing at the end of Ramadan. For Yasser, more interested in TikTok than religion, this is a daunting prospect.
One of the play’s strengths is in the themes it sets out to explore. Of these, imposter syndrome and social exclusion feature prominently. Yasser is made to feel uncomfortable by religious busybodies. His impassioned assertion that the mosque is supposed to be a place for everyone produced audible reactions of affirmation from the audience. Yet most of the play’s themes feel underexplored. Yasser is a character wracked by a central guilt, but we never fully understand his internal conflict. Similarly, Ali’s understated performance makes Yasser’s transformation feel slightly unearned. We are told that Yasser has changed, but we don’t feel it.
Part of the difficulty comes in the nature of the text which, for a one person show, frequently utilises two and three handed scenes. There is an attempt to separate characters through accent and physicality, but the result is repetitive and awkward staging which takes away from the exploration of Yasser’s own internal world. Thus, one of the play’s tensest scenes between Yasser and his former friend Usman lacks any real punch. It is hard not to wonder if the play might have been stronger with an ensemble cast, and ultimately neither the internal nor interpersonal drama is served by the staging.
The set, designed by director Sâmir Bhamra, is similarly under-used. A pristine interior of a mosque, it serves as a nice counterpoint to Yasser’s messy internal state. Yet, Yasser’s relationship with the space is never fully realised. A strong point comes where Yasser faints, spilling a cup of water on the floor, which he hurriedly mops up when he comes to. If the production could have found more moments like this, Yasser’s discomfort in the space to which he is trying to belong could have been made clearer. As it is, it hints at what might have been.
Other aspects of the set had similar problems. Simple graphic projections were used in an attempt to help conjure certain scenes Yasser described, but they were not hugely interesting and largely served to undermine a central tension of the play, namely that Yasser is effectively ‘stuck’ in the mosque, unable to leave for fear of disappointing those around him. The production also used captions in both English and Urdu which were a nice touch in terms of improving the show’s accessibility. Yet they frequently contained errors and didn’t match up to the lines spoken on stage, which became quite distracting.
This said, where the drama of the play is lacking, it delivered much more successfully on its comedic beats. Ali delivers a great piece of physical comedy when attempting to ‘out-pray’ Usman, switching between pious recitation and surreptitious glances towards his rival. Similarly, a tannoy announcement that a blue Honda Civic was blocking the entrance to the mosque’s car park produced a huge laugh from the crowd.
Through this more lighthearted tone, the play does leave us with some tender and earnest moments. Yasser discovers why Allah has 99 names, a fact he previously joked about, and ends the play with heartfelt appreciation for the small things in life. If the play had fully delivered on the drama as well, this ending would have been truly emotional. As it is, 10 Nights is frustratingly uneven and lacks the dramatic tension to see its lighter spots through.
Playing until 26th January, https://riversidestudios.co.uk/see-and-do/10-nights-137618/
Reviewer: Ralph Jeffreys
Reviewed: 13th January 2025
North West End UK Rating: