You Bury Me – Orange Tree Theatre

‘You Bury Me’ unearths a young woman’s longing for hope, her city and love. Don’t miss the show for its heartfelt performance and fantastic script.

Ahlam’s ‘You Bury Me’ is a coming-of-age love letter to adolescent curiosity, revolution and cities. Set in Cairo, it captures the life and times of young teenagers a few years after the Arab spring revolution. The Paines Plough co-production, interspersed with vigorous ensemble choreography and pop culture references, realistically brings on stage friends, bloggers, and students’ lives, expressing themselves against the backdrop of an almost invisible oppressive regime. Set to the noise and chaos of a bustling city portrayed through its soundscapes and poetry. Cairo is like the character for the author, a muse and a longing.

The team’s cohesion and synchronicity on stage develop a camaraderie extending to the audience. The location is set by introducing each of the characters and their storylines through song and dance just before the revolution. We each know a Zena, a Rafi, and a Lena in our lives and in witnessing their stories, we weep and rejoice in the joy and sorrow of love and betrayal.

The characters were well-rounded and so vulnerable in their journeys. They take the audience to their adolescence of curiosity, discovery and frustration. Patriarchy, dictatorship and regimes create a suspension of disbelief and fearmongering for regular human connection and living. The trauma of negotiating with dysfunctional families and the relief and warm embrace that friendships provide under dismissive regimes is held to testament in this unmissable work. The heartbreak of trust broken, sudden disappearances and guilt of being left behind stays with you long after you leave the theatre. Obviously, it is written with the bird’s eye view of a young person at 18 looking at their beloved city from far away, focusing more on the personal than the political.

Directed by Katie Posner, the play has been adapted expertly to Orange Tree Theatre, providing an immersive atmosphere for the knitting and unravelling of our protagonists’ complex and interlinked stories. There is no one protagonist, and in that lies the gift of a screenplay and dramaturg that won the 2020 Women’s prize for playwriting. Thirteen years since the Arab spring, the author must still be anonymous, leaving one with much to ponder about how much has actually changed? Indeed, we hope for a day to truly celebrate who we are and who we love in the cities we love.

Playing until 22nd April, https://orangetreetheatre.co.uk/home

Reviewer: Anisha Pucadyil

Reviewed: 30th March 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★★★