The Real Ones written by Waleed Akhtar at Bush Theatre, 6 Sep – 26 Oct ’24 (QX Discount Code)

This is the world premiere of The Real Ones by the Olivier award winning writer and director of The P Word.

REVIEWS of The Real Ones

★★★★★ “Waleed Akhtar is a playwright of our generation” Hamza Jahanzeb
★★★★ “Electric… theatrical magic” BroadwayWorld
★★★★ “Excellent” The Arts Desk
★★★★ “A funny, heartfelt and brutally honest love letter to platonic friendship” (London Theatre)
“Bittersweet drama… beautifully observed” Time Out
“Impressive, intelligent, touching” Telegraph

The Real Ones reunites the team behind the Olivier Award-winning sensation, The P Word. Writer Waleed Akhtar (recently interviewed about The Real Ones in QX) and director Anthony Simpson-Pike are joined by the cast that will include Nathaniel Curtis (It’s a Sin, Channel 4), Nnabiko Ejimofor (For Black Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When The Hue Gets Too Heavy), Mariam Haque (Black Mirror, Channel 4) and Anthony Howell (A Thousand Blows, Disney+).

Zaid and Neelam are best friends, and they share a dream: to get away and make it as playwrights in a future where they’re free to be themselves. Together, always. 

Years later, things are far from what they expected. Zaid’s life has stalled, as he is only half out of the closet, living at home and still chasing the dream. While Neelam has taken a completely different path, as she prioritises her happiness.

As their lives pull further apart and things left unsaid hang between them, it becomes less and less clear if they’ll ever find a way back to each other.

Waleed Akhtar told QX, “One of the greatest things about ‘The P Word’ was the audience. I’d love to have them come back and see this play as well – it touches on queer themes and perspectives that we don’t always see. 

“I don’t think the relationship between a queer man and his straight female best friend is really explored, and I wanted to give that some sort of depth. I kind of write plays for the girls and the gays, so, yeah, I’m keeping that up.

“The play had been living in my head for a while.  It’s a play about Neelam and Zaid, and it charts their friendship like a grand romance. I think we often prioritise romantic loves, but actually, friendships are some of the greatest loves of my life.”

The Real Ones premieres extended run from 6 September – 26 October 2024 at Bush Theatre, 7 Uxbridge Road, London W12 8LJ, United Kingdom.

All images courtesy of Bush Theatre.