An absolute hit and a bit of a miss from The MUJU Crew.
Muslim-Jewish theatre group, The MUJU Crew, present a showcase of their work this weekend at Tricylce Theatre. I caught their show at Rich Mix where they presented Extreme Prevention, a brilliantly varied comedy sketch show and Walls a socio-political work-in-progress exploring a friendship between two boys, one Muslim, one Jewish.
MUJU do well to present Walls before Extreme Prevention as it ensures they end on a light-hearted note. Walls, though not particularly heavy, is a piece under construction, a little unsure of the points it's trying to make. The play follows Ish, a smack-talking, pot smoking Muslim, and Zac, an unlucky in love Jew who's been hiding his impending relocation to Israel.
Their shared appreciation for games consoles and casual exchange of cultural insults shows an endearing familiarity. Comfortable with stereotypes, they have no problem placing Ish's cousin Mo in the boring and religious bracket of their associates. For a play about the grey areas in delicate relationships, Walls is surprisingly black and white. Giving a voice to young people about a subject that's difficult for the most eloquent adults to articulate, is quite some feat. At this stage of the production The MUJU Crew have a way to go before they are able to bring to the surface the simmering confusion, and back and forth that lurks in relationships like that of Zac and Ish.
At the moment, there are more characters than are necessary. Talk of Ish's girlfriend Ayesha reveals Ish's sentiment and potential for maturity but her presence on stage doesn't have much purpose other than fodder for Mo's chastisement. Observant Mo is disappointingly one dimensional. His presence pushes Ish to voice his concern over Zac's move to Israel, but having spent so long ridiculing Mo, it seems unlikely Ish would so suddenly see his point. The outburst is more likely to have been achieved through an awareness of general media observation. In the half-hour performance, there isn't enough time to explore Zac's mother's motivation for moving to Israel which needs to be presented through a more succint dialogue to have any impact. Walls could perhaps find a home in schools where teenagers are likely to feel less removed from the characters than older theatregoers.
Extreme Prevention, the sketch show that follows Walls, is fresh, clever and highly observant. MUJU's chief success is highlighting new steretoypes ripe for gentle mocking. Among their triumphs are the two rude-gyal Muslims who play top trumps with their religious observations and the brilliant ex-Muslim extremist who, having been led into a world of radical beliefs, now wants to tell every Tom, Dick and Harry who'll listen that he's abandoned them. The best sketch of the night features a Jewish boy with a bagel on his penis – head to Tricyle for this alone.
Extreme Prevention and Walls is playing next at Tricycle Theatre on Sunday 23rd May
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