Nowhere
Rating: 4.5/5
Venue: Battersea Arts Centre
Cast: Khalid Abdalla

In this intricate and playful solo show, inspired by his involvement in the Egyptian revolution of 2011, and his experience of the counter-revolution that followed, actor and activist Khalid Abdalla (United 93, The Kite Runner, The Crown) takes us on a surprising journey into his own history, set against a cartography of seismic world events. From the histories of colonialism and decolonisation; friendship and loss; protests and uprising against regimes across the world; to the violence in Gaza, Khalid brings together the personal and the political in an act of anti-biography that asks how we got here and how we find agency amidst the mazes of history.

Nowhere is playing at the Battersea Arts Centre in London running from 1 - 19 October. This is actor Khalid Abdalla's writing debut and is directed by Omar Elerian.

It's a personal account of he, his family and friends fight for democracy in Egypt but encompasses so much more throughout the 90 minute one-act piece. In this one person show, Khalid discusses the history which impacted the ongoing problems in the region as well as individual problems faced by Middle Eastern people.

It's an emotional piece, sad and thought provoking. His interaction with the audience is great and the ability to see happiness and pride in his family and friends is wonderful. I hesitate to say too much about this piece of theatre as I believe each audience member should decide for themselves how to interpret it and take away their own message from the production, which should predominantly be the outcry for peace. 

However, I found the use of video footage, images, photos (Sarah Readman) and sound very effective. The sound design from Panos Chountoulidis is particularly worth mentioning. Standout moments were the silence of the curfew in Cairo, a city usually awash with noise and the music created using sirens was both disturbing and oddly emotional.  

Khalid did not apportion blame but instead educated and discussed the issues at hand, concluding that while both sides lose, the people affected most are the children. There is so much more to this production and I urge you to see it. 

You can book tickets to Nowhere, here.

Review by Ed

**photo credit: Helen Murray**