REVIEWS Denied - The Humble Theatre Co. Edinburgh Fringe 2007
Scotsfestival (The Flipside Review)
'Denied' by the Humble Theatre Company is a culturally challenging, thought provoking exploration of the multitude of misconceptions, misunderstandings, falsehoods and factual cultural differences which separate communities at an ethnic and racial level as caused by a basic lack of communication and dialog.
Outstanding 5 star performances across the cast ensured the intimate drama of the sequence of events outlined in the production fairly crackled with an emotional tension which had the audience seized in the action moment by moment.
Denied is a courageous attempt to use the medium of theatre to create dialog, promote debate and foster communication between Western and Islamic cultures.
Edinburgh Evening News
Across the city, a hooded man approaches a woman from behind, hits her in the face and covers her in petrol. She screams as she is set on fire.
Playwright and director Jodi De Souza includes such sequences of "honour killings" in her attempt to dramatise the struggle between "extremist" and "mainstream" Islam in her play Denied. She believes each audience member should decide for themselves what the future of East-West relations will bring
The Scotsman
“Not all Muslims are terrorists, but all these terrorists are Muslims." In this controversial piece Jodi De Souza explores Islam, radicalism and the treatment of Muslim women at the hands of their menfolk. The play starts promisingly, comparing UK-born daddy's girl Franchesca (Jennifer Bryden) to abused Muslim wife Sana (De Souza) from Boluchistan. While Franchesca yells at her father, Sana pursues a touching secret relationship with love interest Mohammad. When both women fall pregnant, a series of events is set in place that brings their lives and worlds together, as De Souza boldly demands to see evidence of the mainstream moderate Islamism so often referred to in the media.
"Don't we get time to clap?" wonders a man on his way out. No, this play prefers for you to go away and think instead.
The Stage
…An ambitious human drama that makes for compelling viewing, thanks to a focused and generous ensemble and a zippy array of dramatic devices….
Broadway Baby
…The issues explored in De Souza’s play are important, especially the extent of the horror of honour killings – 5000 last year, 12 of them in the UK. Her script makes a good case both for why people become anti-Muslim and why they become anti-West and ultimately turn to suicide bombing….
Three Weeks
East meets West in this play that explores a range of issues, pertinent in today's political climate: Islam, terrorism and the role of women are all addressed against a pre and post 9/11 backdrop in both Baluchistan and London. The acting is of a high calibre - particularly that of the young and old Franchesca (Jennifer Bryden and Emma Vale respectively), while the scenes of domestic violence are heart-wrenching. There are also several successful scenes where the two worlds collide, portraying parallel situations in their different communities….
Denied (2007) - an article.
"Some, like Glennon Anderson and Damola Onadeko, came to the project with little or no understanding of Muslim culture, choosing to craft their characters from videos, interviews, documentaries. “I have to say I knew absolutely nothing about Islam, apart from the fairly negative press it gets. When I read the play I thought it was just so fascinating and showed so many sides to Islam, and so I had to be in it,”Anderson says. One of her characters, a reporter, stands outside the theater before the show begins, asking probing questions to the audience as to their preconceptions and expectations for the show they are about to witness. Such feedback, the cast says, remains critical to the ultimate goal of the show to provoke public discourse on an emotionally charged and profoundly divisive topic." —Joe Horton
