Now Showing-East Is East

Thu 11 – Sat 20 Jun

Mon – Sat eves 7.45pm

Thu & Sat mats 2.30pm

A brilliant show! Theatre Royal Brighton was absolutely packed for opening night. The cast were lively, interesting and entertaining and excellently depicted an Asian family growing up in 1970’s Salford. The play superbly blends the trials and tribulations of upbringing along with the cultural differences of being from an Anglo-Indian heritage.

A little earthy for some, it nonetheless portrayed an immigrant family as real people who have pride in their traditions and culture and who have come to Britain to better themselves. The audience gave them lots of clapping at the interval and theend.

A number of Brighton and Hove City Councillors were present and afterwards some were clearly struggling to come to terms with the fact that immigrants are real people and not some fantasy that their multiculturalism misled them to believe. It was good education for them and excellent entertainment for the rest of us.

Salma Hoque (Holby City) was really good as daughter Meenah, and when she changed into traditional garb looked stunning. Eastenders’ star Ashley Kumar looked at ease as he gave a compelling performance.

Well worth seeing! Good value for money.

Award winning Pauline McLynn (Father Ted, Shameless, EastEnders) plays Ella Khan in Ayub Khan Din’s critically acclaimed play East is East, directed by Sam Yates, on a 16 week National Tour from 11 June 2015, opening at Theatre Royal Brighton.

Pauline was joined by some of the original cast from the West End production of East is East: Ashley Kumar (Tariq Khan), Darren Kuppan (Maneer Khan) and Sally Bankes (Auntie Annie).

Pauline McLynn said;

I am very excited to be part of this production. The play by Ayub Khan Din is sparkling, funny and tender and I’m delighted to be working with the brilliant Sam Yates. I cannot wait to get out there with it!”

Pakistani chip shop owner George Khan – “Genghis” to his kids – is determined to give his children a strict Muslim upbringing against the unforgiving backdrop of 1970s Salford. Household tension reaches breaking point as their long-suffering English mother, Ella, gets caught in the cross fire – her loyalties divided between her marriage and the free will of her children.

East is East, Ayub Khan Din’s semi-autobiographical account of British Asian life in the 1970s and the clash of cultures between a multi-cultural family growing up in Salford, is a play that continues to resonate and provoke discussion. Starring award-winning screen icon Pauline McLynn (Father Ted, Shameless and EastEnders) as Ella and a host of the finest British acting talent as the remainder of the Khan family and friends, this long awaited revival of a modern comedy classic promises to be unmissable.

Pauline McLynn (Ella Khan) is best known for screen roles including Mrs Doyle in Father Ted (for which she won a British Comedy Award), Libby Croker in Shameless and her current role playing Yvonne Cotton in EastEnders.

Ashley Kumar’s (Tariq Khan) stage credits include East is East at Trafalgar Studios/UK Tour, Tartuffe at Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Commercial Road at the Hackney Empire and The Snow Queen at the Unicorn Theatre. Ashley’s screen credits include A Nice Arrangement, Omid Djalili’s Little Cracker, Summer In Transylvania, EastEnders, Spooks, Benidorm, The Bill, Doctors and MI High.

Darren Kuppan’s (Maneer Khan) stage credits include East is East at Trafalgar Studios/UK Tour, Rafta Rafta at the Bolton Octagon and the New Vic Theatre, Stoke, the latter of which he also performed in Arabian Nights.

Sally Bankes’ (Auntie Annie) stage credits include East is East at Trafalgar Studios/UK Tour, That Day We Sang at The Royal Exchange Manchester (for which she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at The Manchester Theatre Awards).

East is East, was Ayub Khan Din’s first play, following an initial career as an actor. It was staged at the Royal Court in 1997 and, subsequently, Ayub adapted the play into a hugely successful feature film, starring Om Puri and Linda Bassett.

Sam Yates most recently directed Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester and directed Ruth Wilson in The El Train at Hoxton Hall.