Jerk Off! theatre review: Sincere, intimate storytelling
Nadia P Manzoor fuses together hip-hop, fast-paced narration and high-flying emotions, in a vulnerable personal portrait
.jpg)
Nadia P Manzoor has made it abundantly clear that she doesn’t need a supporting cast or a room full of props to get her point across. Thirteen years after debuting internationally acclaimed one-woman, 18-character play, Burq Off!, Manzoor arrives in Edinburgh with its newly devised sequel, Jerk Off!.
Jerk Off! picks up where its predecessor left off, with the untimely passing of Manzoor’s mother. Against a stripped-back set lined with a small collection of family heirlooms, Manzoor makes her great affection for her late mother clear, before taking us Stateside, where we learn of the inspiration behind the show’s title. In her 20s and at a loss in the wake of her mum’s passing, Manzoor fled London for Boston, where she fell in love with two things: hip-hop dancing and her hip-hop instructor, Miguel. Manzoor recounts her relationship with the Bronx-born dance teacher with startling honesty, unravelling the thread between his abuse and her discovery of the mistreatment that had been taking place in her own immediate family.
Such is Manzoor’s command of the stage that the 80-minute runtime flies by. Small details, like Manzoor’s parents referring to her vagina as her ‘shame shame’, paint a colourful picture of British-Pakistani life, endearing the audience closer to the thoroughly engaging Manzoor.
Jerk Off!, Underbelly Bristo Square, until 30 August, 11.35am; picture: Madison Swart.