Play: The Black Album at the National Theatre (From Kingston Guardian)

Play: The Black Album at the National Theatre

4:06pm Wednesday 8th July 2009

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Wandsworth's Tara Arts is taking its latest production on a national tour this autumn, kicking off with a three-month run at the National Theatre from Tuesday.

The Black Album, a co-production between TARA and the National Theatre, is a play by Hanif Kureishi and directed by Tara's artistic director Jatinder Verma that humorously looks at the events of 1989 – the year of the fatwa – and how they have shaped today’s world.

The story follows Shahid, an Asian kid from Kent who goes to college in London and teams up with a sympathetic group of anti-racists.

But it’s 1989, the year of the fatwa, and as Shahid begins a hedonistic affair with his lecturer, his radical Muslim friends want to steer him away from the decadence of the West.

Kureishi's other novels include the semi-autobiographical The Buddha of Suburbia, which was adapted for television by the BBC, while his play Sleep With Me was also performed at the National.

After it's run at the National Theatre comes to an end, the Black Album will tour the country, opening at West Yorkshire Playhouse on October 20.

Cottesloe Theatre at The National, South Bank, July 14 to October 7, 7.30pm, £10 to £31. Call 020 7452 3000 or visit tara-arts.com.

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