East Is East review – the classic cross-cultural comedy is as sharp as ever

Bolton Octagon
Thirty years on, Ayub Khan Din’s play about dual-heritage life in the 70s is revived for a tour with an exceptional cast

Thirty years ago a play opened at Birmingham Rep that might have been expected to have limited appeal. East Is East, the story of a mixed-race family from the north of England surviving 1970s Britain as the father tries to marry off two of his sons, was then turned into a film. It crossed cultures and became a Bafta-winning box-office hit, following the success of Ayub Khan Din’s play.

Bolton Octagon, 10 miles down the road from the story’s setting of Salford, celebrates the anniversary with a new production directed by Kash Arshad. In Arshad’s hands the script’s comedy is mined and brought to life by an exceptional cast, with Samantha Power as Ella, the matriarch of the Khan family, giving an award-worthy performance.