Unsung review, The Rosemary Branch Theatre

Freedom songs

Unsung is a re-imagining of Rabindranath Tagore's play, Punishment, the story of village brothers, Ash and Rana, whose lives unravel when Rana murders his wife and makes his sister-in-law take the rap. In Ayndrilla Singharay's modern retelling, Ash sacrifices his beloved wife, Joy, to save his brother's reputation. He argues that women get lighter prison sentences. Joy, who is about to start teacher training, sees it through because she takes instruction from her husband. If that sounds unlikely, consider honour violence and the visible subjugation of women in immigrant communities in the UK: what keeps so many in place is not love for those around them but ingrained notions of duty.

Driving the story is Megh and Rana's childlessness. Rana's impotence is externalised through his irrational jealousy, which inevitably impacts on the trust between Ash and Joy. It's a lot to take in, but Lucy Allan's nuanced choreography and four fine actors create characters of integrity, blending small and subtle lapses in time and mood leaving you holding your breath to see who will fall at the final hurdle.

Inevitably there are problems moving a play across time and continents and there are moments where Unsung can't square the circle. Village justice happens in days or weeks, but British justice takes months and years, and this gets in the way of a vital plot twist. That said, Singharay pulls it together in a final line that is both feminist and subversive.

In conclusion: The best writers endure, and this reframing of a great play underscores its currency even today. Niall Ray and Avita Jay have a hard task, but vividly bring Ash and Jay to life. Nadia Nediff as Megh is a woman on the point of awakening, and Rez Kabir's Rana is a convincingly careless misogynist.

References
The Rosemary Branch, Tickets


The Rosemary Branch Theatre, 2 Shepperton Road, London N1 3DT.     Run ends 8 Sept