Spanning the period from 1954 India to modern day Britain, Vinay Patel’s AN ADVENTURE is a monumental piece of writing. Commissioned by The Bush theatre, the play is set around crucial historical events.Taking his two protagonists across three continents; from just post-partition India, to Kenya during the independence movement, to British factory strikes; the writer however does not use the main two characters to function as a background for a historical driven narrative, as AN ADVENTURE is not just a story; it’s a love story.
Directed by the outgoing artistic director of the Bush Madani Younis, AN ADVENTURE is one of those rare plays that will sit with you for years. It’s complex. It’s big. It’s rare. It’s subtle and yet aggressive. From the very first moment the lights shine on Jyoti and Rasik, the two main characters inspired by the playwright’s grandparents, the authenticity and humanity of their story grabs you and doesn’t let go until you are fully invested in what’s about to come. But where most love stories, tend do end, AN ADVENTURE continues. Jyoti and Rasik’s “happily ever after” is full of doubts, hardships, and their journey together often takes them somewhere they never planned to be. Whether it’s a farm in Kenya, which Rasik impulsively buys for a Kikuyu farmer David (phenomenal Martins Imhangbe), or bleak London, where racist tensions towards immigrants make life a horrific nightmare , Vinay Patel does not allow for his characters to let go of wanting to be better, better at life, better at living or simply better at being kind humans. “Someone to be better for” is who Rasik searches for when he first meets Jyoti and we not only see ourselves in this story, but also those who came before us.
What starts as an arranged marriage grows throughout years into a mature relationship. And perhaps the ability to perfectly reflect such a vivid connection on stage is what makes Vinay Patel such a sensitive and tender writer. It is the things that remain unsaid that often carry the heaviest weight in this nearly 180 minutes long epic journey. Anjana Vasan as Jyoti portrays young femininity with the right amount of joy and idealism that is needed in order for her character to grow into a world weary yet determined mother of two, who sacrifices so much of her own self to give to others. The great acting guru Sanford Meisner wrote that “An ounce of behaviour is worth a pound of words”, and in Madani Younis’ production those small and often unnoticeable patterns of behaviour is what make the world we invest in so rich and real; life like. The chemistry between Anjana Vasan and Shubham Saraf adds a little bit of magic realism into the production and there is something quite cinematic in the way Younis, especially in the first act, creates a lot of eerie and abstract imagery, supported by a haunting soundscape designed by Ed Clarke.
There is a very clear change of ambience and pace two hours into the production when the two main actors are replaced by the Older Rasik (Selva Rasalingan) and Older Jyoti (Nnila Aalia). A lot of space is given to those real life moments that so often can seem tedious in theatre; but I get it. I get that some pieces need the space and time to breathe and I get that creative risk is something we so rarely see happening in bigger venues. And I get that sometimes, sometimes not everything has to be polished in order to hit and AN ADVENTURE does hit.
Vinay Patel weaves so many elements into this story, often reminding us that politics and the politics of representation is at the core of his work and you can feel that something great is achieved throughout staging AN ADVENTURE at such a trailblazing venue like The Bush.
As I wake up the next morning I think about Rasik and Jyoti. When I think of their younger selves I think of where I was 10 years ago. The end of the play makes me wonder about my future and those who I will leave behind. And I realise that what this production captures so well, is that overwhelming feeling of floating, not necessary in an Indian Sea, but floating in life. Feeling weightless, the arm of a loved one to lean on near you, your whole life with countless scenarios ahead of you. To capture love the way AN ADVENTURE does is a triumph.
There is much to admire both in both Abi Zakarian’s one person play, FABRIC, and Nancy Sullivan’s 70 minute performance of it. She portrays Leah who, despite a London accent and Essex Girl vibe, gets a job in a high end tailors where she meets the perfect, prospective husband - financially secure, tall, blonde and handsome.