INTRO

Blending faith, culture and classic British humour, actor and writer Abdullah Afzal is taking the stage once again, this time with his independent production, Snow Brown and the Seven Chachay [Uncles], suitable for the whole family.

This independent production was produced by the original team behind Cinder’Aliyah and Beauty and the Balaah (previously Muslim-inspired pantomimes). It is described as a “a celebration of Muslim life with cheeky panto humour” – the show’s timing during the festive season offers inclusivity for audiences who may not typically feel represented. While Muslims do not celebrate the annual holiday Christmas, productions like Snow Brown allow everyone to share the feeling of togetherness during this time of the year.

Afzal described the show as “Nigel Farage’s biggest nightmare” online, highlighting its light-hearted yet bold approach to diversity on the British stage. Moreover, the production will raise money for humanitarian causes, such as for Gaza and other countries in need.

SPOTLIGHT

I attended one of the Snow Brown pantomimes after not going to pantomimes for years due to the lack of relatability and I was curious to see how this played out. Afzal very kindly allowed me to interview him as I was curious to what inspired him to create this iconic blend of South Asian and British culture of a show.

He said he decided to create a Muslim pantomime to create a safe space for Muslim children to experience the same joy as traditional British pantomimes — but rooted in his own beliefs and morals as a Muslim.”. For example, traditional pantomimes often use crude language and suggestive innuendos — something he wouldn’t want his young children to see.

Afzal understands what the audience wants to see/ how society is currently working; Snow Brown was not the stereotypical Muslim woman who fiends for marriage – “she’s got a bit of bite to her… she knows what she wants… that’s what the modern Muslim woman is like and I wanted to put that on stage,”.

He said his upbringing influenced the pantomime by what he sees in everyday life e.g. the chachays’ [uncles’] behaviour was influenced by his own uncles and how they acted very old-school which explains why we saw their horrific reactions to Snow Brown wanting to marry Prince Khaled (the male protagonist).

“Do not compromise on your upbringing.. be yourself, enjoy it and tell your story and be truthful to who you are.”

Afzal also spoke to me about a film project he hopes to make, titled Haldi and Milk — it follows a young boy from Bradford who reluctantly agrees to go to Pakistan for his dad and pretends to find a wife. Surprisingly, he does meet a girl and wants to marry her, but she doesn’t want him, which subverts the stereotypes of Pakistani girls yearning for marriage with no other life goals. He wanted to make this film to show people the beauty of Pakistan as most of what is heard about the country is negative. Although funding is difficult, Afzal believes he will make it happen in the next few years!

ANECDOTE

I am so glad Afzal has created something like this for Muslims to look forward to. As a visibly Muslim girl myself, it’s easy to feel like a stranger in predominantly white spaces; this pantomime made me appreciate my culture with humour instead of being ashamed as I have been when I was younger due to the lack of inclusive exposure my childhood in British institutions has been. I hope there are more shows like this to look forward to in the future.