Waleed Akhtar debuted as a playwright with 2023 Olivier Award winning ‘The P Word’, a gay lobe story that raised sensitive issues in a gentle, but powerful manner. With ‘The Real Ones’, it is about a platonic friendship between two British Pakistanis, trying to deal with navigating life whilst reaching their dreams and honouring the love for their families. It is an interesting topic and Akhtar reveals a remarkable way to talk about difficult conversations between the friendship between Zaid and Neelam through the characters’ contrasting personalities and how they deal with their secrets. The detailed and naturalistic performances by Mariam Haque and Nathaniel Curtis make the audience feel for these characters and sympathise with them. They are convincing and they play their characters with such ease that we forget that’s what we are – characters. The themes Akhtar explores are relatable to all South Asians in the audience watching. From inter-racial relationships to hidden homosexuality, he reinforces that in today’s time and age, these issues are still taboo. ‘The Real Ones’ is playing at The Bush Theatre until 26th October 2024. Get your tickets here: https://www.bushtheatre.co.uk/event/the-real-ones/ WRITTEN BY: Nura Arooj About Author SSZee Media Provider of Quality Entertainment News and Information See author's posts Share this: Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook Share on X (Opens in new window) X Share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp Share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email Share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram Share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit Print (Opens in new window) Print Like this:Like Loading… Related Post navigation Net migration drives largest UK population increase in 50 years, says ONS data Amrou Al-Kadhi talks ‘Layla’