You would expect the most interesting characters in a culture-clash comedy described as “East meets Wigan” to be one of the two leads. It would be Ashraf, the Egyptian-Muslim taxi driver, trying to uphold tradition in the manner of Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge or Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof. Or it would be Ashraf’s daughter Shazia, in the Juliet role, trying to claim her independence while dating a white special-needs teacher who is as nice as he is culturally clueless.
It turns out to be neither of these two, despite warm-hearted performances by Dana Haqjoo and Shamia Chalabi, who co-wrote the play with Sarah Henley. They make a believable father-daughter couple, each too fond of the other to let their differences get in the way. But however truthful their relationship, it is one with little dramatic conflict. It is hard to believe the genial Ashraf would pose a threat to Shazia’s marital plans, nor that his “habibti”, or darling, could not charm her way to winning him around.
The stakes are low, which is why the temperature rises a notch on the arrival of Ashraf’s new wife, Yasmin. Arriving from Egypt, the willing partner in an arranged marriage to an older man, she looks set to introduce some cross-cultural tension. Played by Houda Echouafni, wearing a head scarf and speaking no English, she seems to fulfil the expectations of orthodox conservatism. Only then does she turn the cliches on their head. Intelligent and empathic, this is a woman who stays true to her values without discriminating against others.
Sadly, the more this becomes apparent, the less there is to play for. With so little to be won or lost, we get squabbles instead of arguments. Despite some second-half interjections by director Sepy Baghaei – a punch-up here, a dance routine there – the play drags its feet to an easily won happy ending.
More intriguing is what it says about women and private transport. On Helen Coyston’s set of mobile car seats, Habibti Driver links women’s emancipation to the independence of the car. As is the case in Egypt, a woman passing her driving test becomes a symbol of claiming control.
Habibti Driver is at Octagon theatre, Bolton, until 7 May
