Sami's Paradise

I just saw Sami's Paradise and it was an entertaining time. Unlike the last piece from Belvoir I saw (Single Asian Female), this depicts deep topics, but each one plays a significant part. It's been a long time since I've seen anything even remotely funny coming from theatre and this play does deliver on that front. The style that this play uses is a bit confusing, because it goes for absurdism, then Brechtian and then moves over to farce. The stand out for this production is the ensemble cast. They all play interchangeable characters and while they are mostly cringeworthy, provide a good laugh now and again. The deep topics that I previously mentioned include things like immigration and suicide. Thankfully none of these topics are portrayed in a way that would seem pandering or annoying and is done with humour to show their stupidity and flaws.

That isn't to say that this play is perfect, because it isn't. For example, there is not a flowing narrative. The story that begins of the play gets changed for another, that get changed for another. While I mentioned that the ensemble was great, that doesn't mean everyone in the cast pulls their weight. Many of them provide cringeworthy moments that you can tell were not intentional.

These little annoyances overall don't sour the rest of the experience. I'm still happy that I went to see it. I wouldn't recommend buying the script or anything along those lines, it ultimately wouldn't work without seeing this live.

I'm giving this a 7/10.