You Bury Me 
Orange Tree Theatre

“THIS story isn’t even about 2011. 
This story isn’t about that… dream. 
This is a story about death.
The death of that dream. 
This is about 2015”

The city of Cairo is not just the setting for You Bury Me but also the seventh character alongside six others who form an ensemble to voice the unrelenting energy of Egypt’s capital. 

The anonymous writer Ahlam’s focus lies on the remaining “dying embers of hope”, four years on from the glorious downfall of Hosni Mubarak and the people who came of age in its wake. 

Osman (Tarrick Benham) is a revolutionary writer, dedicated to fighting for the ideals of the 2011 revolution. His best friend Rafik (Nezar Alderazi) is a verbose hedonist who has been forced to move in with Osman when his father threatened him with a knife, after finding him with another man. 

Equally committed to a good time is Osman’s teenage sister, the feisty Maya (Yasemin Ozdemir) who enjoys tormenting her goody-goody best friend Lina (Eleanor Nawal) as they crawl through the city traffic in search of a party. 

Meanwhile, Lina’s older brother Tamer (Moe Bar-El), who comes from a Coptic Christian family, has fallen hopelessly in love with a Muslim, Alia (Hanna Khogali). It’s a dalliance of remarkable hilarity as they attempt to navigate their physical urges within the confines of their religions, family and the watchful state. One particular moment of feverish fumbling has the whole house giggling. 

It is far from the only moment where sex takes centre stage, becoming a prism through which to explore notions of freedom, with Ahlam’s language as direct as it is poetic, avoiding cliches and capturing the rawness of wide-eyed adolescence.  

All six cast members bring an unwavering effervescence to their roles, steering well clear of any invitations towards melodrama, with Benham and Ozdemir standing out, while Katie Posner’s brisk direction keeps the action stimulating throughout. 

According to the programme “you bury me” is an expression of affection in Levantine Arabic. 

Well, there is a lot to love here. 

Runs until April 22
Box Office: orangetreetheatre.co.uk