A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain

by Sami Ibrahim

We all live under the same sky.
It's just that, beneath that sky, there's some arsehole saying "don't stand here, stand over there and shut your mouth".'

Elif shears sheep for a rich landowner. Every other waking hour she spends queuing outside the palace, hoping that the King will let her live within the city walls.

She comes from a far-away land.
She is searching for sanctuary.
And this is what we call a hostile environment.

A Sudden Violent Burst of Rain from award-winning playwright Sami Ibrahim is a poetic fable of an impenetrable immigration system that mirrors our own. It is premiered on UK tour by Paines Plough and Rose Theatre.

Genres: Plays

88 pages, Paperback

Published August 11, 2022

Reviews

[Doug · Rating 2 out of 5]

On the basis of the other two Ibrahim plays I've read and liked, I assumed I'd like this one also - but it's a bit of a damp squib. First off, I have a fairly low tolerance for whimsical parable/allegory/fable type plays, and secondly, even less patience for direct address - in which 2/3s of this is presented. It tackles am important subject - the immigration crisis - but in such a low-key fashion, it became downright boring.

https://www.timeout.com/edinburgh/the...
https://www.thereviewshub.com/a-sudde...
https://www.lucypopescu.com/2022/10/t...
https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/...
https://www.britishtheatreguide.info/...

[Carmijn Gerritsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This fable follows a surrealistic narrative whereby Elif is trying to gain independence from her old life, and infiltrating the kingdom with her daughter. As such, it reimagines the migrant crisis in contemporary Britain. This is done by creatively covering the themes of nation, belonging and displacement. Although it is very interested thematically, it didn't blow me away as it stayed very surface-level.

[Joel Wall · Rating 5 out of 5]

a masterclass on writing creatively around a political issue; a really interesting, fun and moving story with so much performance possibility