Favour

by Ambreen Razia

Leila is happy living at home with Noor, her loving but traditional grandmother. But when Aleena, her fiercely independent mother, returns home from prison determined to deliver a new world of fun and excitement, their calm lives are upended in a blur of nail varnish and sweet treats.

Family secrets come tumbling into the light, and Leila finds the task of deciding on her future more difficult than she first thought.

Ambreen Razia's play Favour is a touching and hopeful family drama about a working-class Muslim family, tackling duty, addiction and the challenge of pulling yourself back together after it all falls apart. It was a Bush Theatre and Clean Break co-production and premiered at the Bush, London, in 2022, directed by Róisín McBrinn and Sophie Dillon Moniram.

Genres: Plays

120 pages, Paperback

Published June 30, 2022

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another commissioned work from Clean Break, a women's theatre group dedicated to theatrical works by, for and about women whose lives have been impacted by the criminal justice system. It concerns a Muslim mother reuniting with her daughter and her own mother after two years of incarceration, the reason for such only explained in the final scene, and which also explains the title. It's a solid character study, but has some jarring twists, including an egg fight and an odd scene of magical realism.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/202...
https://www.broadwayworld.com/westend...
https://saltertonartsreview.com/2022/...

[antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this as soon as I watched the play at the bush theatre! It’s honestly one of the best plays I’ve seen and read. Amazing amazing writing discussing topics that are not usually discussed in the south Asian community. Loved every moment of it!

[Seymour Glass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delicately written, with great mix of light and dark. The character of Fozia is hilarious but I found Aleena a little forced and unreal.. Not a topic you hear a lot about, generally, but was deeply insightful.