Routes

Routes is a sharp-edged sketch . . . It plaits together tales of three young men who feel rejected personally or politically with tales of two white women . . . who have ducked and dived into some kind of power. * Observer *
This thrilling debut play by Rachel De-lahay plugs straight into the jittery heart of multicultural London today . . . De-lahay has an alert ear for comic dialogue and her portrait of mixed-race, upwardly mobile twentysomethings on the estate . . . crackles with wit as well as moments of deep emotion. The play raises the provocative question of whether it is possible to shrug off the fraught issue of racial identity . . . It’s a play that combines sharp one-liners with a savvy sense of the way we live now . . . One leaves the theatre impatient to discover what Rachel De-lahay will come up with next. * Daily Telegraph on The Westbridge *
In her first play, De-lahay shows an impressively complex vision. * Financial Times on The Westbridge *
Routes is a vigorous and dynamic piece. -- Henry Hitchings * Standard *
De-lahay excels in writing streetsmart dialogue... -- Aleks Sierz * Stage *
The play expresses, more succinctly than journalism, the moral mess surrounding citizenship and criminal law. * The Times *
In 70 sparky minutes, [De-lahay] examines the murky world of those who want to get in and those who don't want to leave. * Sunday Times *
A world emerges of broken homes and young men losing their way as director Simon Godwin gets stunning performances from his cast. * Mail on Sunday *
De-lahay skilfully plaits together several different stories. * Guardian *
an account of bureaucratic absurdity that doesn’t hide behind absurdist humour. * Time Out London *