Extremism

Anders Lustgarten
Worlds End Productions
PQA Venues @Riddle’s Court

Extremism

The recorded voice of Theresa May introduces us to the subject of the play Extremism. She tells us the government’s Prevent strategy will stop the radicalisation of extremists and the threat from home grown terrorists.

Briefly, we see a tableau of a classroom of school students looking shocked as one of their number, Jamal (Rohan Mahern), a recent arrival to the school, is taken away.

Left to speculate on what has happened, the class quickly polarises, with Darren, (James Lockheart) Melina (Lemonitsa Petris) and many of the students sliding closer to identifying Muslims as the outsiders, the threat.

Chris (Adam Sawa) and Jordan (Milan Omer) try to put anti-racist arguments alongside Suhayla (Elena Georghiou) who wears a hijab but increasingly they seem marginalised. As the arguments grow, a few of the characters shift towards a more angry physical confrontation.

A strong cast give an exciting, believable performance that grips your attention from the moment it begins.

In case you were curious about your score on the Prevent radicalisation scale, the company hand out a questionnaire as you enter the theatre, which allows you to work out what level of danger you pose.

I better not reveal my results or they will be calling Prevent.

Reviewer: Keith Mckenna

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