The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs at Soho Theatre

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs at Soho Theatre | Theatre review
13 May 2022
Mersa Auda
Avatar
Mersa Auda
13 May 2022

There is no better venue for vibrant and heartwarming play The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs than the dynamic Soho Theatre. Written by Iman Qureshi, the show wraps its social messages with irony and colourful songs, making them accessible to everyone. 

The story begins with Ana convincing her girlfriend, Lori, to join a lesbian choir together, in the hopes that it will help Lori accept her true identity and come out to her family. The project is led by Connie, who founded it to create a safe space for lesbians to meet, since the few bars and meeting places where they could once socialise have all shut down. The choir doesn’t boast many regular attendees, but those who do turn up begin to form a bond. Whilst working, Lori meets Dina, a woman from Qatar who feels trapped in her marriage and wants to meet lesbian women and explore her sexual identity – so Lori invites her to come along. The newbie’s presence shakes up the dynamics in the group. Meanwhile, the choir receives the news that they may have an opportunity to perform at Pride, so they begin to rehearse with greater zeal. 

Tensions build due to the different outlook each choir member has on what it means to be a lesbian, as well as the different struggles that each faces. Pent-up resentments are stirred, and rather than feel united by their common experiences, they are divided by their differences. They realise that Pride itself, as an event, seems to reflect that tendency to split participants into smaller factions.

Fun, funny and upbeat, in spite of all the sensitive themes it brings up, The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs opens up conversations on topics that are not often addressed. The difficulty of establishing a social presence for the lesbian community is the main concern expressed by Qureshi, but there is also the much more alarming question of the harsh, violent treatment reserved for homosexual individuals in some parts of the world, as well as the instances of prejudice and discrimination experienced daily in one form or another by each member of the choir. Although the play’s messages aren’t always conveyed effortlessly and organically, this is an insightful production that manages to address tricky topics lightheartedly without trivialising them.

★★★★★

Mersa Auda
Photo: Holly Revell

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs is at Soho Theatre from 6th May until 11th June 2022. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Related Itemsbook adaptationiman qureshilgbtqlive theatremusicalreviewstage adaptation

More in Theatre

The End of the Night at Original Theatre Online

★★★★★
Mae Trumata
Read More

The Throne at Charing Cross Theatre

★★★★★
James Humphrey
Read More

Flamenco Festival 2022 at Sadler’s Wells

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More

Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More

National Theatre’s Connections Festival 2022 showcases young theatre talent across the UK

Sophia Moss
Read More

Evelyn at Southwark Playhouse

★★★★★
Jim Compton-Hall
Read More

Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World at Theatre Royal Stratford East

★★★★★
Natallia Pearmain
Read More

King Lear at Shakespeare’s Globe

★★★★★
Michael Higgs
Read More

This Is Not Who I Am/Rapture at the Royal Court Theatre

★★★★★
Jessica Wall
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Mersa Auda

The Ministry of Lesbian Affairs

★★★★★

Dates

6th May - 11th June 2022

Price

From £12

Links & directions

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Railway Children Return
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Brian and Charles
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Viagra Boys – Cave World
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • The End of the Night at Original Theatre Online
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The Throne at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “We really wanted to create a cabbage gun”: An interview with David Earl and Chris Hayward stars of Brian and Charles
    Cinema & Tv
  • Flamenco Festival 2022 at Sadler’s Wells
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Paolo Nutini – Last Night in the Bittersweet
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Viagra Boys – Cave World
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • The Railway Children Return
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Adele lights up Hyde Park for BST Festival
    ★★★★★
    Live music
  • Beauty and the Beast: The Musical at London Palladium
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Julius Caesar at Shakespeare’s Globe | Theatre review
Warpaint – Radiate Like This | Album review