Run, Rebel – truly something special.
Sometimes, it’s truly difficult to find the words to begin to describe something. As an individual, I’m fortunate to have been invited to review many productions over recent years, and yet something escapes me when trying to begin with Run Rebel – Manjeeet Mann’s stage adaptation of their novel of the same name. I am grateful to the team for providing me two tickets to Press Night.
Simply, this play is truly something special and I’d hope it’s destined to grace bigger stages in years to come. Over the next few weeks, Run, Rebel is on tour across the UK. If you can, you need to watch this momentous piece of theatre – and that’s before I even get into the details.
It is an urgent, pressing narrative that needs to be heard by audiences across Britain, that speaks about migration, coercion and family dynamics, alongside the struggles of coming of age of our protagonist.
And often, these narratives can feel forced, one sided, but Amber’s story (the protagonist in Run, Rebel) also reveals her flaws, whilst exploring context as to why she makes certain decisions. This rawness, touching upon the many complexities of being a child of migrants in Britain who don’t speak English, whilst dreaming of a better future was honestly perfection.
There is a dynamism to this show too, with the remainder of the cast playing a plethora of characters, illustrating the intricate web of relationships that have influenced Amber, from her two best friends to her mum, dad and sister, along with a neighbour, school teachers and more.
Jessica Kaur as Amber is just simply a joy to watch, and she is stellar as the lead character in this play. Her performance brought me to tears in parts, and yet fractions of a moment later made my smile. Kaur is on stage for almost the entirety (if not for all) of both acts, and her energy is constant throughout.
That said, this story certainly wouldn’t be possible with the equally brilliant cast of Asha Kingsley, Heather Forster, Kiran Raywilliams, Pushpinder Chant and Simran Kular, all of which play multiple roles. They seamlessly transition between characters at the drop of a hat and in particular Chani’s depiction of the father, brother-in-law and school teacher, and Forster’s depiction of best friend Tara and school teacher stood out. Also standing out are Kular’s role as David’s mum, Raywilliams’ David (Amber’s love interest) and Kingsley’s Surinder (Amber’s mum).
I realise that I’ve just name-checked each of the cast, but they all truly deserve recognition for a faultless show. Bravo!
In terms of the story itself, as we are let into this world, we also are challenged it would be fair to say – this isn’t an easy play to watch and grapple with. Amber’s world is fraught with intergenerational trauma that encompasses her entire being. Yet we get to watch her slowly unpick those stitches, and bring hope not only to herself, but importantly to her mum and sister, and those around her.
Run, Rebel touches upon the lived experience of migrants settling in the UK with the hope, somewhat extinguished, of a better life, of the bonds between husband and wife, the expectations of siblings who didn’t get to make the same choices. These are stories which, I would hope, most if not all can relate to in someway.
To aid us in this voyage, we should also note the team of brilliant creatives at Pilot Theatre for bringing this story to life. Directed by Tessa Walker; Designed by Debbie Duru; Lighting designed by Ben Cowens; Video designed by Daniel Denton; Sound designed by Yvonne Gilbert; Music composed by Niraj Chag; Movement directed by Kuldip Singh-Barmi.
And before it’s too late, you should see this whilst it’s on a five week tour across the UK until 9 November.