The return of this exhilarating production following its acclaimed world premiere at the OT in 2022. Ultimately the play is rather let down by a degree of early-career shakiness. For starters, it’s weird to explicitly set it in Leicester and not bother with Leicester accents. A laboured attempt to indict Asha’s teacher of Karen-ist hypocrisy feels like it’s been approached completely wrongly (it hinges on the idea Emmeline Pankhurst is as big a sacred cow as Gandhi). And the bullying saga spirals out of control in a way that serves Asha‘s newfound philosophical beliefs well, but is, to be blunt, totally ridiculous. the play authentically captures an era in which coming of age is often synonymous with developing a progressive political stance” The relationship between the siblings is very believable and the chemistry between the actors is palpable; the younger sister wants sympathy and validation from her older sibling, who rejects her and finds her annoying. It is a very recognisable scenario.

The younger sister, Bettina – Year Ten to Ascha’s Year Thirteen – can be seen as a victim of this fall-out. All she wants is for Ascha to be on the bus home with her so that she doesn’t have to receive the unwelcome, even bullying, attentions of Adil and his mates.A complete contrast to her elder sister, Bettina is more interested in getting a pet hamster and pop music than in reading or politics. But her friendly persona and eagerness to please makes her a target of Adeel and some other boys, who rob her of the money she is saving to buy a pet. When she asks her more assertive sister for help, things at first get better and then soon spin out of control as both the teens discover that doing the right thing is not as easy as they expected. Bhattacharyya’s warmly sympathetic portrait of the two girls is the beating heart of the play, and she has a real talent for sibling dialogue, which is both emotionally true and comic. This timely and thoughtful new play from Sonali Bhattacharyya…compellingly shows that the stakes can be high when people – especially women – from a diaspora community raise their voices” WhatsOnStage

The most interesting thing about Bhattacharyya’s play is the manner by which Asha takes on board the teachings of Ambedkar – and later Sylvia Pankhurst – and ends up applying them to her own life: her outlook on the world shifts, but quite subtly and interestingly, with meaningful consequences for how the story plays out.

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This spiritedcoming-of-age dramafrom Sonali Bhattacharyya is by no means perfect, but it certainly has some neat ideas, and is given a likeable inaugural production by Nimmo Ismail.

Nimmo Ismail's pacey direction means there is no lull in the energy of the production. Asha and Bettina constantly move; walking, climbing and once breaking into a joyful dance. There has been real consideration of the space of the Orange Tree, with Debbie Duru's simple design capturing the concrete surroundings of the girls' school.

The set itself is relatively simple, with the lighting and sound effects transporting the action to a dingy bus stop or a childhood bedroom. They also use smartphones to great effect, whether it’s Bettina showing pictures of the much sought-after hamster to her sister, or Asha being caught out – she’s not listening to Stormzy, she’s listening to an audio book about Sylvia Pankhurst. Director Nimmo Ismail; Designer Debbie Duru; Lighting Designer Alex Fernandes; Sound Designer Tingying Dong; Movement Director Chi-San Howard; Associate Movement Director Tian Brown-Sampson; Casting Director Christopher Worrall. Ingar and Chadha are true stars in this production. They could have performed with no set, no lighting or sound effects and still held the audience in the palm of their hands. To keep an audience engaged and invested for so long is such a skill and these talented young actors do so with ease and obvious pleasure. The sisterly dynamic is tangible, and their energy fills me with youthful adrenaline – the odd slip up is easily forgiven. A moment when they catch your eye brings you into the heart of their story and means it’s not something you will forget any time soon. In such areas, Bhattacharyya’s dialogue is beautifully nuanced between the competing forces of moral rage and personal yearnings, public affairs and private ones. Directed by Nimmo Ismail, whose work includes Glee & Me by Stuart Slade and The Christmas Star by Russell T Davies (both Royal Exchange Manchester), Fragments by Cordelia Lynn and My England by Somalia Seaton (both at Young Vic), and SNAP by Danusia Samal (The Old Vic).

Two Billion Beats is showing at the Orange Tree Theatre until 5 March and is available to stream on demand between 8-11 March 2022.Anoushka Chadha is a visibly younger and more naïve Bettina, who idolises her older sister. She holds no discernible political view; her world is contained within her home and school. Chadha exhibits many recognisable physical traits of a young girl; her fingers worry at the ends of her sleeves; she constantly shuffles her feet. Even the manner in which her voice often slides into a higher pitch is very convincing. The play features frequent cutaways and introspective soliloquies delivered by its lead, Asha (Shala Nyx). These are often followed by the loudspeakers serenading us with the dulcet tones of B R Ambedkar and Sylvia Pankhurst. In contrast Bettina (Tanvi Virmani), delivers a refreshing comedic reprieve with a delicate touch. Both actors bring strong, lively performances and successfully convey the source material engagingly. I know so many people, not just women, whatever your gender, if you’re part of the diaspora community, come and see this. You’ll have something from your own community that will reflect and ping out as an argument you constantly need to have, or a slur you’re constantly called, or a question you’re constantly confronted with about Britain’s history. We are now really having these frank conversations about how distressing they were, how disgusting they were, how they created generational trauma. And it isn’t going to just wash away – this denial of the British empire and what they did to our countries and these communities, it needs to be spoken about, and attitudes need to change! How have rehearsals been going so far? Bouncing with wit, Sonali Bhattacharyya’s upbeat new play is a coming-of-age story about the unfairness of growing up in a world where you don’t make the rules. A blazing account of inner city British-Asian teenage life, this exhilarating world premiere asks what the cost of speaking up really is. Originally presented as a short play as part of the OT’s Inside/Outside livestreams in 2021.