Anita and Me - A Play Written For Bradford!

Anita and Me is a play with music inspired by a book which resulted in a film and a place on the school curriculum for its author, Meera Syal.

This slightly left of centre offering from Bradford's Alhambra, had overtures of the earthiness of ground breaking TV drama and, at times controversial, Rita, Sue & Bob Too, only this time the setting was Wolverhampton with changing Britain as the backdrop.

Birmingham Repertory Theatre has had a strong hand in this one and, for that reason, the accents were excellent, however, some of the drama is initially masqueraded because the Yorkshire ear is simply not tuned in to all that 'Brum' and, sadly, certain dialogue is initially lost.

This was not a play that left me baying for more and, in truth, I wasn't sure whether I liked it.... but now I think I do!

That's because Anita and Me is like leaving some rather challenging mutton in the pan overnight, it is better for digesting after a period of stewing or, in my case, time for thought.

Set in a tight knit West Midlands community in the 1970's, the play is a cauldron of themes and revolves around the lives of Meena, a first-generation Brit from Indian parenthood, and her rough as old bootstraps white mate, Anita, a through and through Black Country lass.

One is struggling to come to terms with her new identity in a very different country to that of her parents, whilst the other is somewhere between fascinated and appalled that her Indian mate wears different clothes, certain members of her family eat without cutlery and the stuff they consume is beyond recognition to her.

Meena pines for acceptance by her white mates, some of whom love her but can't handle the arrival of Asians in their area. "They're taking our jobs.!"

Sound familiar?

As I write this review the meal seems to taste a little better with every mouthful.

That's because Anita and Me is a play that gets you thinking. It was adapted by Tanika Gupta, however, original book author Meera Syal says she was blown away when her first novel was made available to GCSE students.

But even she smiled as she read a couple of school study guides advising students what she had been thinking when she wrote the book! But the fact that they also referred to Enoch Powell's Rivers of Blood speech tells you so much about the themes of this play.

It is about culture clashes, social acceptance, coming of age and people from two continents squaring up to each other before realising that they need to be part of the same tribe.

The first half was a bit slow but, without doubt, it picked up in Act II with the arrival of Rina Fatania as grandma, Nanima. She so beautifully captured the 'couldn't give a monkey's what you think' of this sari clad granny, with some fantastic twinkles that had the audience in raptures.

Laura Aramayo as Anita, was as rough as a badger's ass as my brother used to say; brilliant. And her sidekick Meena was equally effective for completely different reasons. She was a nice girl somehow trying to achieve more street cred but failing miserably. That contrast was her strength.



Yes, this was a good play; I've changed my mind! It was full of themes, great comedy, more than a smattering of coarseness and some wonderful cameo performances.

Oh, I almost forgot, loved Rebekah Hinds, despite the pretentious spelling of her forename, as Mrs Ormerod and Anita's couldn't give a sh** mum, Deidre. Fantastic! She was in Billy Liar, wonder if she played Rita?

She would have been great.

Until Saturday 25th March 2017
Nightly 7.30 and 2pm today with 2.30 matinee Saturday