^{Picture: Geraint Lewis}

Karim Khan’s 50-minute play is a coming-of-age story centred around two Asian boys as they learn to swim for an upcoming pool party. Kash and Mohsen are preparing for life after high school with the thoughtful and more reserved Mohsen planning to attend Oxford University and fast-paced, charismatic Kash set on a BAME internship in Manchester. 

Dialogue is loaded with horny teenage banter that is machine-gun-quick and sucks you into the world of male adolescence. Urdu words slip naturally into the speech and aren’t over-explained. Between the delightfully (and accurately) lewd teenage boy talk, there’s an undercurrent of everyday racism. They’re not invited to the party because their school peers assume, as Asian boys, that they can’t swim, and their pass is only secured under the assumption that they’re drug dealers. In a scene where the boys shop for swimwear, they’re followed by a security guard with these small and constant battles with stereotypes and prejudice building the tension. Kash wants to ignore it and Mohsen is keen to fight it.

On occasion, monologues tip into exposition, reminding you that you’re watching a play, but before long there’s some punchy dialogue to pull you back in. Varun Raj shines as Kash, delivering comic lines and adolescent quips with perfect timing, while Anish Roy as Mohsen adds raw emotion to the heart-wrenching final scenes. 

Pleasance Dome, until 28 August, 2.30pm.