A skilful, powerful and moving story told through exceptional Chinese pole, aerial and dance work, Tell Me puts two stories of HIV diagnosis side by side in this thoroughly compelling piece.
Created and directed by Sadiq Ali, Tell Me is the long-awaited sequel to his award-winning The Chosen Haram. Fusing circus with an expressive, emotive narrative, this latest work is a three-hander performed by Ali, Phoebe Knight and Jonah Russell. Contrasting the realities of living with HIV in the modern day with the experience of a character diagnosed in the 1980s, this evocative story asks questions and challenges perceptions.
One of the key aspects of Ali’s work is the clarity of storytelling, ensuring that all of the elements flow together to create a cohesive and interconnected narrative. The individual work, the duets and the three-hander pieces all feel equally important, and not a beat is missed. With Ali as Michael and Knight as Grace, they serve as two ends of a 40 year spectrum, where so much has changed but stigma still remains.
The combination of the performers exceptional skills and the warmth of their connection with each other is often breathtaking, particularly when it comes to the solos, stunts and set pieces. Beautifully lit by Jamie Heseltine and underscored by Guy Veale’s sound design, the central red cage structures add to the sense of isolation, containment and oppression the characters feel.
Visually stunning and emotionally complex, Tell Me shares all the passion, the fun and the devastation of the characters lives, while at the same reminding us of how far we have come.
By Deborah Klayman
Tell Me plays at Summerhall, Edinburgh until August 31st 2026.
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