A witty tragicomedy about the struggles of immigrants and the absurdity of the British government
This hilariously-named play by Vivek Nityananda, I Dream of Theresa May, follows five years in the life of a gay Indian man named Nikhil. Set in 2013, Nikhil faces the possibility of deportation from the UK to India, where the Supreme Court has announced the overturning of gay rights (which were only granted four years before). Desperate to stay in the gay glitz and glam of Old Compton Street, Central London, Nikhil finds help in the form of an imaginary Theresa May.
I Dream of Theresa May is especially relevant today, what with racism and anti-immigration rhetoric becoming increasingly prevalent in the UK. Nityananda delivers a well-written political satire that elicits constant loud laughter from the audience, portraying the detrimental effects of the UK government’s cruelty on those who want to be left alone. We witness Nikhil’s downfall from fun flamboyance to downright silliness, and later repulsiveness as he adopts the horrid ‘at least I’m not one of THOSE immigrants’ sentiments peddled by the Conservatives. The play is sharp, funny, and devastating.
Taraash Mehrotra is a delight to witness in the role of Nikhil. His comic timing is brilliant. According to Tara Theatre’s website, “he is fiercely passionate about representation and telling stories about resilience and liberation” – this is clear from the fervour with which he delivers his lines. I Dream of Theresa May rips into the stupid ways in which immigrants, particularly immigrants of colour, are forced to assimilate, and Mehrotra’s performance is hard-hitting. Tanya Katyal (playing Nikhil’s Indian immigrant friend Jyoti) and Nusrath Tapadar (playing Jyoti’s British-Pakistani girlfriend Noor) are great supporting actors, challenging Nikhil’s rising conservatism with their ever-important words of protest.
Amy Allen gives us a screamingly funny, incredible performance as the then-Home Secretary, Theresa May. Towering over the helpless Nikhil and putting on the most side-splitting facial expressions, Allen reminds us of the ‘hostile environment’ that May created for immigrants. Her tone is snobbish as ever and she remains at the forefront of Nikhil’s mind, bringing about an aura of paranoia and misery that sadly exists in abundance outside the theatre. I Dream of Theresa May is just as sad as it is riotous, and the cast and crew do a fantastic job at conveying all the emotions to us.