'The P Word' review — this tender play combines a love story with potent ideas about homophobia and asylum

Read our review of Waleed Akhtar's The P Word, now in performances at the Bush Theatre to 27 June.

Summary

• Waleed Akhtar's play The P Word returns to the Bush Theatre
• The Olivier Award-winning show is a love story and a thoughtful examination of homophobia and asylum
• Akhtar and Esh Alladi are superb as the opposites-attract pair
• Anthony Simpson-Pike's production makes brilliant use of movement

On first inspection, The P Word is your classic opposites-attract love story. Bilal (Waleed Akhtar, who has also written the play) lives in London, is addicted to Grindr, and wants to rid himself of any evidence of his Pakistani roots. Zafar (Esh Alladi) is a gay asylum seeker who escaped from Pakistan after his family discovered his sexuality and is now living in temporary accommodation in Hounslow. The Britain they occupy is vastly different, and so are their views on the world. But when their paths cross at Pride and they begin to develop a friendship, their budding connection transcends their differences.

Akhtar’s dialogue is layered with tenderness. As Bilal and Zafar meet up for riverside walks, Pakistani drama-viewing sessions, and gradually begin to open up to one another, the chemistry between them grows. Still, this is so much more than a will-they-won’t-they love story, digging into violent homophobia in Pakistan and the daily struggles faced by asylum seekers in Britain.

With both men taking it in turns to narrate their journeys during the first section of the play, Anthony Simpson-Pike’s production places them on opposite halves of the same raised, revolving circular stage. And yet, they remain oblivious to one another. Their movements, acutely directed by Rachael Nanyonjo, lightly echo each other throughout. When Bilal does frantic push-ups after being ghosted, Zafar falls into urgent prayer. Both men are isolated, alienated from their families because of their sexuality. Zafar is also in the midst of grief after his father, back home in Pakistan, arranged for his lover to be murdered.

The skill of Akhtar’s writing is that it has us rooting for their romance even before their first meeting. Bilal is forever going for the wrong people, who make cringe-worthy comments about his skin colour and heritage during their late-night meet-ups. Meanwhile, Zafar is too afraid to take the first step back into romance after his brutal experience in Pakistan.

Akhtar makes Bilal (or Billy, as he prefers to be called) all armour; he lowers his voice, performs as someone else on dates, and is constantly dismissive of other people’s appearances. Alladi, in stark contrast, plays Zafar with overwhelming warmth. He is goofy and compassionate, even saying “everything is relative” when Bilal complains about his job.

When I saw The P Word in 2022, I thought the structure of overlapping monologues delayed the play’s heat. This time, however, I found the production (which went on to win an Olivier Award in 2023) pacy and self-aware. With extra lines added that speak to the current political moment, this is a play that feels right up to date. The final epilogue, in which the Bollywood ending is cut short and replaced with statistics about asylum, more than makes its mark. You’ll be thinking about it long after you leave the theatre.

The P Word is at the Bush Theatre to 27 June. Book The P Word tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: The P Word (Photos by Craig Fuller)