Review: Dizzy by Mohamed-Zain Dada

This play was commissioned by Theatre Centre and is a co-production between Theatre Centre and Sheffield Theatres. Dizzy premiered at the Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse on 25 September 2024.

The cast is as follows: Qamar who is a 15-year-old Arab girl and a maths whizz; Staz/Sunny who is 33 years old and Yaseen/Dizzy who is an 18-year-old Arab male; Mr Kadinsky and, lastly, Security Guard.

The play requires some patience on the part of the audience as the relationships between characters are revealed slowly. Yaseen, who is also known as Dizzy, is Qamar's older brother but Stax calls him brother as well. Yaseen/Dizzy is dead, having fallen from – or been pushed off – a high building. Qamar makes Stax's acquaintance at the memorial wall set up for her late brother. She calls him a criminal for tagging the wall but once she realises that he was her brother's friend, she shows him respect by shaking his hand. The scene ends with Staz saying: ‘Rest in paint, Diz’.