Unbroken Line

Synopsis

How do you identify yourself? Is it by your job? Where you're from? Dolah doesn't know. He wants answers, but who to ask?

Our Review:

10 December 2012

There is something very hypnotic about watching Jamie Zubairi paint. After the inexhaustible energy with which he has carried us through the past hour, this moment of calm reflects the resolution of a conflict he has wrestled with ever since moving to London from his native Malaysia. Taking on the character of Dolah, this very personal piece allows Zubairi to explore his very modern identity crisis through a one man show that embraces all forms of art, glorying in its painting, puppetry and dance.

Much of the production relies on Zubairi’s natural charm and, as he warmly shakes audience members’ hands, one would never suspect that we were in fact inside the Oval House Theatre and not the tiny flat in Peckham that he refers to as home. Zubairi’s child like energy is infectious, his love for the art forms he brings together palpable. His physicality as he combines both his cultures are light footed and celebratory and his use of puppets particularly movin...

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Latest User Review

Marcus Reed - 13 December 2012:

Just had the privilege of spending an hour in the company of this young man at the OvalHouse, where he truly entertained and humoured this old fart; no mean feat believe me. I was genuinely touched by Zubairi's charm, wit and obvious affinity with simplistic storytelling. Had this piece been filled with superficial grit and stamina in the hope of pleasing drooling crowds, I believe it's charm and innocence would have been lost. Indeed, with the use of what seemed like wooden spoon puppets to demonstrate the innocence and tenderness of love between two human beings, I struggled to hold my emotion. An hour well spent: thought provoking without unnecessary provocation and Anglo-Saxonism; a love story told boldly enough through it's tenderness, and a genuine feeling of warmth and optimism left through a simple 'unbroken line' painted on a piece of canvas at it's conclusion. I congratulate both Zubairi and the OvalHouse for bringing this beautiful snapshot of Dola's life in to my thinking. Marcus Reed...

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