Who could not admire Nadira Murray? Born into an under-privileged background in Uzbeckistan, she faced the torment of watching her father, an unqualified but talented director and playwright, destroy himself with a cocktail of drink and drugs from an early age, struggle with conditions as close to poverty as imaginable (she tellingly pointed out that there is no government offering cosy support as so often the case in the UK), and try desperately to retain her decency whilst earning money in the only way she felt possible – as a belly dancer. And it doesn’t stop there! This is her story of hurt, joy, desperation, love and above all truth.
Set on a chair in a small black box space in the Gilded Balloon, Nadira uses few props and no scenery at all. In fact, that is what makes her story so incredibly powerful – there are no over-extravagant frills and it stands up first and foremost as a fascinating account of a life that few of us can even imagine, let alone live. Her performance begins with a dance – indicative of where she feels her true roots lie, and she still openly admits that she would love to return to her home country at some point. She goes on to describe the background to her life, how she “lived between love and hate”, got her job as a belly dancer, met Craig Murray (the then British Ambassador for Uzbekistan) and subsequently fell in love – not with his money or prestige, but because he was willing to stand up for the innocent people of her country, because he respected her and sympathised with her as a person and not just as a sex object, and because he told her the truth and presented her as the truth. This was ultimately why the resulting story was so scandalous – it was as if he had invited the criticism from the British media, because he, like her, told the truth. Depicted as outrageous at the time, it was ultimately the most honourable thing to do.
Nadira Murray is quite simply gripping. The audience hung on her every word, and whilst her performance and conviction as an actress will certainly improve as she becomes more and more used to the English language, this is a must see. When she explained how her 7 year old brother once pleaded with her not to fall from the roof of her house by telling her he could “give you my dreams”, I put my notepad down. I was lost for words.
[John C Kennedy]
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