Meera Syal’s much-loved novel, Anita and Me comes to the stage, stopping in Bradford where LEO OWEN caught the show as part of its UK tour

Set in an ex-mining village in the West Midlands and seen through the eyes of its adolescent narrator Meena (Aasiya Shah), Anita and Me brings 70s nostalgia to God’s Own Country.

Its 2002 film adaptation and appearance on school syllabuses are testimony to the popularity of Syal’s coming-of-age tale.

Director, Roxana Silbert’s take on Syal’s stage adaptation liberally edits events and characters from its original source material, heavily injecting music and song to the show in a homage to Meena’s Punjabi roots. Set and Costume Designer Bob Bailey emulates vibrant 70s’ fashions and the economic depression underpinning key events in the story.

Billed as a play with music, the show opens with a deliberately badly sung School’s Out, reminding us of youthful exuberance as Meena and her neighbours hang around the back streets of their close-knit predominantly white British community. Consistently upheld Brummie accents geographically pinpoint Anita and Me but it’s a story of universal appeal, exploring friendship, the need for social acceptance and community spirit.

Syal’s humorous tone amusingly introduces the titular Anita (Laura Aramayo) as having the face of a “pissed-up cherub” while Bailey’s interesting wig choices help us to view her as the often-neglected self-destructive teen Anita fails to recognise, instead perceiving her as the “cool” older neighbour she desperately wants to befriend. Their fledgling friendship rarely strays from the backstreets of Syal’s set, reflecting the insular community they live in. Design is fluid and unfussy with brick walls cleverly transforming into a mobile sweet shop or being used to conceal the keyboard accompanying musical numbers. Building facades revolve to create interiors and the derelict part of town where the show’s climax occurs.

Although design is strong, musical numbers lack, melting into one-another to feel a tad redundant. Cultural differences are more successfully explored through the arrival of Meena’s grandmother (Rina Fatania), who educates her, recalling Indian history and first hand experiences of the demise of the British Empire. Fatania’s character raises serious issues, such as feminism, sexism, racism and emigration, but also acts as light relief, alongside Meena’s dubiously sung letters to Jackie magazine and her neighbour’s poorly chosen acronyms. Perfectly enjoyable, moving at times but lacking.

Anita and Me shows at The Alhambra March 21-25, 2017 before continuing its UK tour: http://touringconsortium.co.uk/show/anita-and-me/