A spritely and potent race through the streets of Cairo

Ahlam’s Women’s Prize-winning debut play You Bury Me comes to the Orange Tree after a run at Bristol Old Vic, directed by Katie Posner. It follows six young people trying to navigate love and work under the cloud of a Cario in the wake of a devasting Arab Spring. Tamer and Alla try to nurture their burgeoning relationship without having SWAT teams barge in on their make-out sessions; Alla’s brother Rafik moves in with Osman and clash over whether their online activities will alert the dictatorial police force; Osman’s sister Maya and her best friend Lina party the nights away until questions about their sexuality become too big to ignore. These six youngsters explore what it is to grow up in a country that feels lost, that has had its core corrupted.

The writing is clear and steady, creating a Friends-esque dynamic; you begin to enjoy seeing characters cross over from couple to couple, although the dialogue can be expositional and overwritten at times. The structuring is effective, introducing the context with a chorus at the outset before letting the political backdrop creep in as the play progresses, although the pace slows frustratingly towards the end and the final knots are tired.

The performances serve the piece well. One thing that these actors cannot be faulted for is their energy – not a ball is dropped through the near-two hour runtime as this sextet inject the piece with an infectious, youthful energy. They are all credible in their creation of interesting characters (Alderazi is a standout as the quirky and lively Rafik), but at times the line between naturalism and heightened comedy blurs, leaving us with theatrical whiplash.

Sara Perks’ set design is blissfully simple, a series of LED blocks and steps that create a landscape not dissimilar to a series of Cairo rooftops – the only misstep is how underutilised it is. This show has been transposed from end-on to being in the round, and at times the performances and lighting sadly leave some of us out but, on the whole, the production utilises the Orange Tree deftly.

With some tweaking and re-shaping, this play has huge potential as a vibrant and striking look into growing up amidst conflict: how can one come of age when it feels like the age is crumbling around them?