Review: Brown Boys Swim, Birmingham Rep

It is not often that, in the first five minutes of a performance, I find my teenage students really laughing along to a whole series of fast and clever jokes (the majority of which I don't understand because the dialogue is peppered with words and references that simply go over my head). It is a great experience, and evidence that this is a great show for students. That opening scene, full of bhangra and jokes, is brilliantly engaging.

Brown Boys Swim is about Kash and Mohsen, two teenage Muslim boys in Britain today. Invited to a pool party with the cool kids, and worried about being able to fit in, they set out to teach themselves to swim. However, into this simple narrative the play delicately weaves not just an exploration of friendship that is as funny as it is moving, but also a succession of intriguing and important insights into race relationships and their impact on the young ‘brown boys’ of the title.

It is testimony to the skilful writing of author Karim Khan that for the most part the social commentary that is woven through the narrative never feels heavy-handed or preachy: their race impacts on the daily lives of these boys in small ways as well as big ones, and the way they react to them varies. The script is bound to be coming to GCSE scripted exams near you soon – it is packed full of terrific duologues that performers would really enjoy performing. There is a twist towards the end which is not entirely convincing, but otherwise the script is terrific.

Actors Kashif Ghole and Ibraheem Hussain are very engaging; their friendship and intimacy, and the tensions that sometimes come from knowing someone well enough to be critical, are gently and sympathetically portrayed. Also interesting for students is the staging of the ‘transitions’ between scenes – simple but effective choreography illustrates how valuable the staging of movement from one moment to another can be.

Equally important to the success of the show is the use of production elements. A very simple set and furniture (James Button) are manipulated to great effect, but the sound design is magnificent. On a simple level the musical choices contribute to atmosphere and character, but the ambient sound design by Roshan Gunga – particularly in scenes in the pool – is very clever. Every splash of the hand, step in the water, or leap in (or out) is accompanied by an appropriate sound which enhances the (entirely dry!) performance.