Handful of Henna

01 February 2010

THE stories of Muslim mothers and daughters are brought to the stage in a new play for families, Handful of Henna, at The Broadway theatre, Barking, on Sunday.

For the first time since she was a girl, Saheeda is returning to her family village for a wedding.

She takes along her teenage daughter Nasreen who is intensely annoyed at being away from her friends in England.

Saheeda begins to connect with her past life, and stories of her time as a girl, both happy and sad are re-enacted.

As mother and daughter begin to share the family history, Saheeda, just like her own mother did to her, rubs henna into Nasreen's hands to ward off evil spirits and nightmares.

As the wedding celebrations commence, a newfound understanding is forged between mother and daughter, and brash Nasreen shows she has sensitivity and compassion.

The play is ased on real stories.

Over the past month, The Broadway has been working on an outreach project called Related with around 20 local community members to produce a curtain raiser before Handful of Henna.

The show starts at 5.30pm.Tickets are £10 from 020 507 5607 or online at www.thebroadwaybarking.com .