The Black Album Read Free

among man’s most important and finest creation – with God perhaps being his greatest idea of all – Shahid also learns how corrupt and stultifying these concepts can become if they fetishise obedience and ritual, if they are not renewed and rethought. Like language itself, they can become decadent, and newness doesn’t have an easy time. Blasphemy is as old as God and as necessary; religion and blasphemy are made for one another. Without blasphemy religion has no potency or meaning. There’s nothing like a useful provocation to start a good conversation, and this can only be to the advantage of religion, keeping it tied to scepticism.
    In The Black Album it turns out that Shahid is one of the lucky ones, strong enough to find out – after flirting with extreme religion – that he’d rather affect the world as an artist than as an activist. The others in his group are not so intelligent or objective; or perhaps they are just more passionate for political change.
    Whatever the reasons – and it is probably too late for psychological explanations – something had begun to stir in the late eighties which has had a profound effect on our world, and which we are still trying to come to terms with.

   
     
        
     
        
     
    The Black Album was first performed in the Cottesloe auditorium of the National Theatre, London, on 14 July 2009. The cast was as follows:
        
     
    Shahid Hasan Jonathan Bonnici
    Riaz al Hussain Alexander Andreou
    Strapper Glyn Pritchard
    Hat Beruce Khan
    Deedee Osgood Tanya Franks
    Tahira / Zulma Shereen Martineau
    Andrew Brownlow Sean Gallagher
    Chad Nitin Kundra
    Chili Robert Mountford
        
     
    Director Jatinder Verma
    Set Designer Tim Hatley
    Costume Designer Claudia Mayer
    Lighting Designer Jvan Morandi
    Video Designer Tom Hadley
    Choreographer Shobana Jeyasingh
    Music Sister Bliss
    Music Assciate John Gingell
    Sound Designer Fergus O’Hare
    Graphics and Animation Sara Nestruk 

Characters
     
     
    Shahid Hasan
     
     
    Strapper
     
     
    Riaz al-Hussain
     
     
    Hat
     
     
    Chad
     
     
    Deedee Osgood
     
     
    Andrew Brownlow
     
     
    Chili
     
     
    Zulma
     
     
     
     
    I n a company of nine, other characters may be doubled as follows
     
     
    Young Man, Councillor Rudder, Reporter (Strapper) 
     
     
     Heavy 1 (Andrew Brownlow) 
     
     
     Heavy 2 (Chad) 
     
     
     Old Man, Cameraman (Chili) 
     
     
     Tahira, Mother (Zulma)

Act One
     
     

SCENE ONE
     
    Rural, suburban sounds, late afternoon. Lights fade up on a map of the world, followed by the legend HASAN TRAVELS . Shahid enters, wrapped in an overcoat and carrying two suitcases. He puts them down and looks at the map and the legend. Mother enters.
     
    Mother Arey, Shahid …!
     
She pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket, spits on it and proceeds to wipe his face .
     
    Going to college in London and so not smart.
     
    Shahid ( protesting ) Ammi …
     
    Mother How happy your papa will be in paradise when you return with a college degree.
     
    Shahid HND, Ammi –
     
    Mother ( dismissive ) Degree is a degree. ( Exclaims .) My one son charms a beautiful girl like Zulma from Karachi –
     
    Shahid Not exactly difficult.
     
    Mother Don’t argue. Chili and Zulma are a golden couple. And you are about to charm books into a degree! Have you packed toothpaste? All-Bran? Wake up, brush your teeth, have All-Bran with yoghurt and straightaway you will have perfect motions, smooth as the day is long. Promise me.
     
    Shahid Yes, Ammi.
     
    Mother And ring. Every evening I want to hear progress report, just like your papa used to. Socks – have you packed enough?
     

    Shahid Yes.
     
    Mother Here’s a kebab roll to eat on the train –
     
    Shahid I’m only going to London –
     
    Mother You’ll get hungry – why waste money? I’ve also precisely told Chili to take good care of you. He will visit often –
     
    Shahid Oh, no.
     
    Mother Listen to what he says. Packed the computer Papa bought