Pigeons review, Royal Court Theatre

The pigeons in Suhayla El-Bushra's new play are Muslims, the new vermin that gather in groups and won't be shooed away, but really it's about a generation of kids picking at whatever it can find, and going back for more - even when kicked - because there's no way forward. We know the ending from the beginning, and it isn't a happy one, but this is a strangely joyful one hour piece. At its heart is the friendship between Amir and Ashley.

Bird Fable

Pigeons beautifully captures the affection and the rivalry between the boys, and the sheer joy of youth irrespective of whether you're at the top end - like the teen in last night's review from Hampstead Theatre - or bumping along the bottom slashing tyres, getting high, securing blow jobs and fighting with your family like Amir and Ashley. Except Ashley doesn't appear to have a family around him: what he has is supervised access to various family members at points across the calendar. It's why he hangs out at Amir's, playing chess with Amir's dad and flirting with his sister. But when the boys fall out over Leah, a schoolmate who dispenses sexual favours almost mechanistically, he becomes perfect fodder for local racists who dislike his closeness to a Paki family...

El-Bushra's characters have lives that resonate with feeling. The limited language of the kids in Pigeons  is shown to have its own richness, conveyed not through verbal games or nuance, but through intonation, emotion and movement. As much is learned from the boys dancing together as through their speaking. Director Carrie Cracknell has created a cracking piece with the same versatile box set used across all productions in this series of one week plays at the Royal Court.

In conclusion: Nav Sidhu and Ryan Sampson are both brilliant as Amir and Ashley - a real feat given each production is rehearsed for just one week. Sampson almost glitters at times, he's so compelling. It's not a comfortable watch, and it doesn't give you the ending you'd like, but what stays with you as reality bites, is the sheer glory of the life force.

References
Royal Court Theatre, Tickets

Royal Court Theatre, Sloane Square, London SW1W 8AS    Weekly rep series ends 20 July.