One

Mani Soleymanlou’s extraordinary piece of theatre is a captivating and emotional work. It charts his exile from Iran as a small child, through Paris and then across Canada and establishes his sense of stateless. At the same time he describes in passionate and often humorous terms the history of Iran following the deposing of the Shah. It is this balance of light hearted wit and sharing with the audience his most intimate thoughts on his and his country of birth’s origin that is key to the success of the work. What could be an angry rant is an emotive and often poetic plea, a cry for understanding that touches the heart. Delivered with great style and theatrical values seldom seen in this kind of work, One is unmissable modern theatre.
5 May
Dome Studio Theatre
Andrew Kay
5 stars