Peanut Butter and Blueberries, Kiln Theatre Review
Humera Syed and Usaamah Ibraheem Hussain in Peanut Butter & Blueberries.Written by Bronagh for Theatre and Tonic.
Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in return for an honest review. All opinions are our own.
I’m a big fan of shows which show underrepresented stories on stage; from Side Eye Production’s Dugsi Dayz earlier this year exploring Somali culture, to You Won’t Help Me discussing the lesser known aspects of domestic violence, I believe it is essential to bring lesser talked about topics to the stage. Peanut Butter and Blueberries is a Muslim love story, projecting aspects of life ordinarily not depicted on stage, in a promising debut from playwright Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan.
Peanut Butter and Blueberries begins with us meeting Bilal (Usaamah Ibraheem Hussain) and Hafsah (Humera Syed). They are both students at London’s SOAS and their relationship blossoms after they begin meeting in Russell Square after lectures for a hot chocolate. They go through highs and lows with one another, from Hafsah winning an all expenses paid trip to New York to Bilal being stopped by police due to terrorism concerns. Throughout the 95 minute show, I felt a multitude of emotions, anything from happiness, and disappointment to outrage.
I did really like the characters themselves. Hafsah may wear a traditional hijab but is not afraid to challenge the patriarchy, all whilst writing a sci-fi novella. Bilal is presented as quite a sweet young man but at the core we find out why he is so fiercely protective over his mother, whilst wanting to fit in with his white peers (wearing Doc Martens and answering to Billy, as observed by Hafsah). Perhaps not unheard of on a theatre stage, they have a very ‘will they, won’t they’ relationship. The two characters both present as proud to be practising Muslims, and there is no physical contact between the two at all. Instead, we witness intimacy in other ways such as Bilal cleaning and drying Hafsah’s glasses for her and placing them back on her face. No touching is required to show the level of intimacy between the two.
The story is presented simplistically, keeping things clear and uncomplicated for the audience. The characters interact with each other while also breaking the fourth wall to engage directly with the audience, delivering performances that feel truly captivating. A revolving stage is cleverly utilised to signify scene changes and seamlessly introduce key props, including a park bench, a library desk, and a dinner setting at Bilal’s house.
Peanut Butter and Blueberries featured quite a bit of movement, though at times it came across as somewhat awkward. This includes the pair circling one another, leaning towards each other then moving away, and also running circles around each other. For me, although I think I can understand why it was incorporated, this didn’t add anything to the show. The script was more than enough and fairly powerful in its own right; hearing Bilal talk about the violence his mother has experienced and Hafsah discussing alienation was more than enough truly showing the power of words. There are also lots of Pakistani cultural references embedded throughout which, as a non-Pakistani person, didn’t quite land. However, the laughter throughout the audience showed that they did land amongst plenty of others and didn’t require any further explanation.
I also want to acknowledge the measures the Kiln Theatre has put in place for the run of Peanut Butter and Blueberries. The theatre has opened up a temporary prayer room and introduced alcohol free shows. Their website page for Peanut Butter and Blueberries details local mosques, as well as informing readers that the show should be finished in time for sunset prayer. Theatre should be accessible to all, and the Kiln is championing equality and inclusivity by introducing these rather simple measures during the show’s run.
Peanut Butter and Blueberries is a charming show and certainly a promising debut from Monzoor-Khan, who I cannot wait to see other works by. It isn’t ground breaking theatre, but also doesn’t claim to be. Instead, this is a simple love story with two characters whose relationship we root for more and more as the show progresses.
At the Kiln Theatre until 31st August 2024
★ ★ ★ ★
