Journey to the West (tour)

Renowned Asian theatre company Tara Arts marks its 25th anniversary with this
three-parter about migration, to be viewed on separate evenings or during an
all-day event.

The tale looks at the stories of three generations across three continents,
from 1900 when three Indians leave their home to help build the British
railroad from Lake Victoria to Mombasa in Kenya, through the 1960s of Enoch
Powell and The Beatles, to right-up-to-date 2002, where Asians make up the
largest ethnic group in Britain.

In Part I, the company uses an intriguing set featuring swathes of cloth
hanging, rope style, from the rafters, designed by Claudia Mayer,
alongside live music, dance and drama to tell the tale, under the direction
of Jatinder Verma.

But despite occasional moments of visual treat, even at a brief one hour and 40
minutes, with no interval, the evening seems as long as those hot and
tiring days crossing the Tsavo must have been.

There are themes of crime and punishment, death and destruction, the
anticipation and pressures of trying to build a new life in another country.
There are the historical tales of the immigrants pitting their wits against
a man-eating lion, the British reneging on promises of Kenyan land for
Indians, but it’s not enough to increase the pace and interest level.

As a piece of theatre it lacks pace, excitement, pathos, interest – consequently, what we’ve left with is one of the most tedious evenings I’ve ever spent watching self-indulgent theatre. I’d like to say I’d give parts II and III a chance because no doubt things may improve, but quite frankly, I couldn’t muster the energy.

Leicester Haymarket Theatre, which played host to the piece on the night I
attended, has a reputation for excellent provocative and hugely entertaining
Asian drama. But the 700-seater main house was less than 10 per cent full,
and this Journey to the West had me glad to be heading straight for home
again.

– Elizabeth Ferrie (reviewed at Leicester Haymarket Theatre)