Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World at Battersea Arts Centre

Amidst the trouble in Iran that the world has become painfully aware of in the last year, Javaad Alipoor presents his play, Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World. It is a story partly about Iranian singer and political refugee Fereydoun Farrokhzad, whose death is still a mystery. Things Hidden is an introspective look at how the digital age has changed how we communicate, find information and investigate mysteries that had previously been thought unsolvable.

The play begins with Alipoor taking the stage in what feels like a brief introduction to what the audience is about to watch, but develops into the play itself. In this way, Alipoor blurs the lines between what is reality and what is fiction, a point that becomes an underlying theme throughout. The audience is then called on to take out their phones and begin a Wikipedia search for the same thing. Then Alipoor directs the audience to click on what interests them in the article, showing how even though we all start in the same place, we end up in very different destinations. Through this, Alipoor turns the notion of phones being taboo during a performance into the very medium through which he demonstrates the macrocosm of his play: the role that the digital plays in the metaverse.

Though there was not much acting done in the show, apart from Asha Reid who takes on the role of Murder Mystery Podcast Host, there is not a single moment where the audience is not engaged with all the goings on on-stage. Through the use of projections, narration and music, Alipoor manages to achieve the perfect storm for an informative and spell-binding show. Particular mention has to be made of the harrowing story of Raam Emami whose life mirrors Farrokhzad’s. We first encounter Emami on a projection where he retells his story of fleeing Iran and being hunted all the way to Canada. It is a story that, though shocking, could easily be dismissed as a dramatisation in many circumstances. However, the audience then sees that the person who has been playing the music live throughout the show is in fact Emami, and this brings home the notion that what is being depicted on stage is not just some fictitious tale, but the real-life experience of many Iranians, including Emami himself.

In this way, Alipoor, along with his company, goes above and beyond to educate, inform and inspire those who are watching his play to look not only introspectively, but also to see what they can do to make changes where necessary. Alipoor describes himself as the link between his Iranian side and his British side. This play goes further than most, as it not only informs us of the atrocities that are continually experienced in countries like Iran, but invites those of us with multiple backgrounds to be the bridge between the place where we live and the place where we are from. It is a play that all must watch.

Natallia Pearmain

Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World is at Battersea Arts Centre from 9^th November until 26^th November 2022. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.