'Expendable' review — this family drama about the impact of a child-grooming scandal is powerful and courageous

Read our review of new play Expendable, written by Emteaz Hussain, now in performances at the Royal Court to 21 December.

Inspired by stories and survivors of the notorious child-grooming rings in the north of England, Emteaz Hussain’s play Expendable focuses on the devastating impact of such abuse for one British-Pakistani family.

Zara is left to pick up the pieces after her son Raheel has been wrongly and publicly accused of being part of the grooming gang in a local paper. Abandoned by friends, targeted by the Far Right and shamed by the wider community, her estranged sister Yasmin arrives to help.

Lena Kaur is a powerful presence as Yasmin, rallying against the strictures of the Muslim community elders and what she sees as the inherent misogyny they promote. Shamed for drinking and having a baby, fathered outside both wedlock and her community, she knows first-hand the effects of social judgement.

Avita Jay as the harried Zara portrays a heightened state of anxiety. She is too frightened to even answer the door after a local Muslim man is killed in a case of mistaken identity.

Humera Syed is passionate as Zara’s daughter Sofia, taking cues from questionable sources on social media and in the community about Muslim activism. Gurjeet Singh is a slow-moving, ghostly presence as the accused Raheel, capturing both confusion and anger.

Kaur and Jay have very credible chemistry as the bickering and spiky, yet loving, sisters. As they quickly fall back into what seem like familiar conversational patterns, it is clear that their love runs deep.

Natasha Jenkins’ immersive set featuring the family’s kitchen-diner keeps the drama firmly within the domestic sphere; the dining table is the place for arguments, discussions, and endless cups of tea. The audience sits around the kitchen space, smelling chopped onions and hearing the buzz of the kettle boiling.

Esther Richardson’s direction heightens the tension at every turn, with nervous energy radiating from the stage. However, this leaves little room for any respite from the anxiety, making the production feel strangely one-note.

The play points to the reductive sexism and Islamophobia in some of the media, which portrays all Muslim men as predators and ultimately ignores the girls as victims. It therefore seems ironic that the victims are largely unheard in this production too, with all-too-brief appearances from Jade (a bright and eloquent Maya Bartley O’Dea), a former friend of Raheel and victim herself, who tries to make amends with the family.

We get fleeting references to child sexual exploitation, misogyny, familial ties, community standards, female shame, homosexuality, Islamophobia, activism, social media, and identity. Overall, it’s too much to unpack in the 85-minute running time.

The script also contains some clunky exposition. The strongest moments occur as we see the estranged sisters gradually moving closer, slowly mending their fragmented relationship as they unite in their desire to find ways to challenge their community and seek help.

The production is a brave end to the inaugural season of the Royal Court’s new artistic director, David Byrne. With judicious trimming of superfluous narrative strands and sharper focus, it has the makings of a great play.

Expendable is at the Royal Court to 21 December. Book Expendable tickets on London Theatre.

Photo credit: Expendable (Photos by Isha Shah)