Nowhere
★★★☆☆ Personal
Traverse (Venue 15): Tues 12 – Sun 24 Aug 2025
Review by Hugh Simpson
Nowhere at the Traverse for the second half of the Fringe, is presented by Fuel as part of the Here and Now showcase. It is an urgently topical and personally heartfelt, if somewhat uneven, production.
A journey into the personal history of the play’s writer and performer, actor and activist Khalid Abdalla, the play takes in the Arab Spring, the genocide in Gaza, colonialism, friendship and art. Taking partly as its cue Theresa May’s infamous assertion that a citizen of the world is a citizen of nowhere, the production delights in making unexpected connections – sometimes too much so.
Khalid Abdall in Nowhere. Pic: Helen Murray.
Imaginatively directed by Omar Elerian, the production is wilfully diffuse in its approach, with visual elements (phone videos, photographs and an old-fashioned slide show) combining with sound, lights, mime, dance and even inviting the audience to draw no-look self-portraits.
There is no doubt that Abdalla is a likeable and talented presence, but the diversity of the material ultimately proves a weakness.
The more personal elements of the story – his family, relationships, career – and the wider political points do inform each other cleverly. However, the constant switching of techniques and media threatens to lose the production’s focus, as is almost bound to happen in a one-hander that goes over the 90-minute mark.
thoroughly involving
Parts of the production are thoroughly involving – personal, angry and informative. However, simply because something is heartfelt, or the audience agree with what is being said, does not necessarily make for a convincing piece of theatre.
Khalid Abdall in Nowhere. Pic: Helen Murray.
The various technical elements – Ti Green’s design, Omar Rajeh’s choreography, Jackie Shemesh’s lighting, Panos Chountoulidis’s sound, Sarah Readman’s video design – are all impressive, and the commitment to theatrical spectacle is admirable.
There are times, however, when the narrative becomes too tenuous and anecdotal. The ruminations on Abdalla’s acting career are often compelling. On occasions, however, the mentions of United 93 or The Crown (like some of the family history) threaten to take the story up blind alleys.
frustrates
Some of the material frustrates in its lack of relevance, and while it always has a charm, the production would definitely benefit from losing some of its running time.
Running time: One hour and 40 minutes (no interval).
Traverse Theatre (Traverse 1), 10 Cambridge St, EH1 2ED. (Venue 15).
Tuesday 12 – Sunday 24 August 2025.
Various times (see website for details).
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Book here on the Traverse Website.
Fuel website: https://fueltheatre.com/
Khalid Abdall in Nowhere. Pic: Helen Murray.
ENDS
