Watching Two Billion Beats last week meant that I got to visit a new producing house for the first time: the Orange Tree Theatre (OT). Nestled a short walk away from the Richmond station, it can be reached easily on a train from Vauxhall station and boasts brilliant writing that focuses on being a powerhouse for independent theatre. Having also read up on this play, it has previously featured before on the OT’s programming schedule during the COIVD-19 lockdowns. And rest assured, after my visit I can now see why this robust two-hander returns for it simply effervesces at every given moment.

The plot revolves around Sixth-former Asha (Shala Nyx) and high-school student Bettina (Tanvi Virmani), two sisters at a school in Leicester who face their own problems: Asha wants to get into Goldsmiths in London, and Bettina is a victim of bullying on the bus to school. It’s the start of the play which floored me, as audiences are greeted to a remix of Lady Gaga’s 911 as well as an austere round theatre staging covered in grey. The bag Asha has bears a badge supporting Trans rights, and brilliant costume department need to be praised for showing how the younger Generation Z youth are very much in favour of inclusivity; the attention to detail made me feel instantly connected to the stories explored on stage.

When the opening scene began, I felt transported to the bus stop where the sisters converse as the younger one dilly-dallies to avoid her arch nemesis. Bettina’s sharp entrance proved to show  how the dialogue bounced, created spectacularly comical moments and set the scene instantly. Further, Bhattacharyya’s unique nuances (especially the questioning of historical figures such as Gandhi, Ambedakar and Pankhurst) coupled with Asha’s bolshy attitude was purely infectious storytelling on the writer and director’s behalf. The intense study of the characters and their arc throughout showcases witty writing (no spoilers!) and had me riveted.

Having already witnessed the brilliant playwright Sonali Bhattacharyya’s Chasing Hares last year at the Young Vic, this piece displayed her genius as a sharp writer. The character studies were completed done with sensitivity and vivacity; I felt really compelled by the dialogue on stage throughout. In terms of the direction, Nimmo Ismail and Tian Brown-Sampson’s direction effective as audiences were invited into the minds of Asha and her sister (the aspirations to own a hamster reminded me of my own teenage years). At all times, the immersive nature of the piece felt like you could tap both on the shoulders and intervene to give them some cousin advice. It was cosy, intimate and I especially loved the lighting moments (from the darker more sinister internal thoughts to the warm bright day-time tones) that uplifted the action on stage seamlessly. As the events seamlessly unfolded, I was also gripped by Chi-San Howard’s movement: at one point, we see Asha teeters across the stage. It was crafted with such conviction and felt layered, making it evident that a lot of thinking had been done to stage this on the OT’s in-the-round stage: from the LED bus stop sign, to the railing and even the graffiti-tagged wall, the scenes changed with ease.

To conclude, I walked out of the auditorium feeling uplifted in a warm and fuzzy feeling, my faith in the two young people of tomorrow and the two siblings’ caring nature leaving a firm impact; that for me, is how successful storytelling is created. I’ll certainly be back at the Orange Tree if the standard is as good as this play.

{ Advertisement Feature – Ad – PR – I was given a pair of tickets to review TWO BILLION BEATS in exchange for my honest review, and no editorial control is given to external theatre makers and is the reviewer’s personal thoughts }