The Real Ones, a funny and honest love letter to platonic soulmates has its world premiere production at the Bush Theatre from 6 September (press night 12 September).
Reuniting the team behind the Olivier Award-winning sensation, The P Word, writer Waleed Akhtar and director Anthony Simpson-Pike, the cast will include Nathaniel Curtis (It’s a Sin, Channel 4), Mariam Haque (When Winston Went To War With The Wireless, Donmar Warehouse) and Anthony Howell (A Thousand Blows, Disney+) with further casting to be announced.
“I love you. Like genuinely I love you. You’re a real one.”
Best friends Zaid and Neelam shared a dream: get away, make it as playwrights, build a future where they’re free to be themselves. Together, always.
Years later, things are far from what they expected. Zaid’s life has kinda stalled, half out the closet, living at home and still chasing the dream. While Neelam’s has taken a completely different path, as she chooses to prioritise her own happiness.
As their lives pull further apart and a mess of things left unsaid hangs between them, it becomes less and less clear if they’ll ever find a way back to each other.
Waleed Akhtar said, ‘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.”
