10 September, 2019
If you’re looking for 70 minutes of pure “feel good” fantasy vibes, this show isn’t for you.
Performing alone, using a mix of spoken word and rap and singing, Omar Musa recounts his struggles of growing up in Australia (namely, small rural town Queanbeyan) as a Muslim male.
The performance is beautifully raw, and Omar has a brilliant intelligence when it comes to choice of words, flowing easily from him like he’s just chatting to mates.
Normally a spoken word performance would scare me off, with a perception of the art form as being inaccessible but Omar has a knack of putting you at ease and making his experiences relatable – even though my upbringing as a middle-class white female clearly isn’t the same lived experience as him.
The narrative of the performance delivered by Omar prompts you to check your privilege, and encourages you to literally question everyone and everything you’ve ever been told.
The performance is delivered with so much emotion – the highs and the lows – and thrown in are the occasional tears and belly laughs – from both Omar and audience members alike.
Highly recommended work – one I’d happily see over and over again (so good in fact I bought Omar’s CD post-performance!).