Miss Brexit – Maria Who? / Omnibus Theatre, London

Migrant-led theatre company Maria Who? take on immigration and hostile environments in their debut production, Miss Brexit.

Miss Brexit

It’s been a while since I’ve been to the Omnibus Theatre. Time flies when you’re having fun, I suppose. But I was very pleased, last night, to have the opportunity to return and see Miss Brexit, the inaugural work by theatre company Maria Who? Created and co-devised by a group of migrant performers of various backgrounds living and working in London, Miss Brexit is already an award winner, having claimed the Danail Chirpansky New Work Award and the Festival Director’s Award at the SETKÁNÍ Theatre Festival. Having seen work before by a member of the company, I came to the Omnibus Theatre expecting a work which was unexpected, clever, musical, with a piercing core of emotional truth. Not too much to live up to, right?

Miss Brexit does, for the most part, live up to these expectations. It is a sharp satire on contemporary Britain and the immigrant experience, which sets the tone before things even really get underway. As we took our seats, a series of of media excerpts is projected to a background of classical music. Things like biased and incorrect press coverage, barriers and losses in the creative industries, and that blasted bus. I tried to work out if the music was something clever like Handel – a European immigrant – but I’m sadly not that good at classical music. Although it wouldn’t surprise me, given the company are made up of graduates of the London College of Music.

But back to the matter at hand. Miss Brexit follows the format of a beauty pageant-type contest. Five contestants, each named Maria Something (Maria Alba, Maria Ricardo etc.) compete for the ultimate prize: leave to remain. The others face deportation. And so Miss Catalonia (Alba Villaitodo), Miss Italy (Isabel Mulas), Miss Switzerland (Maxence Marmy), Miss Portugal (Ricardo Ferreira) and Miss Spain (Shivone Dominguez Blascikova), all clad in shiny one-piece swimsuits, face off against each other in competitions of Britishness. Tea pouring. Historical facts. Politeness. You know, British values.

The Grass Is Always Greener

The other thing the contestants do is tell their stories. Being co-devised, I assume there are some elements drawn straight from the actors’ experience, while others are embellished. But, speaking as an immigrant myself, they give a really good sense of how hard it is moving to a new place. And how unforgiving the UK – particularly London – can be. It made me think I’ve probably got some sort of unresolved trauma from the days of viewing dismal flats and getting stuck in Catch 22 situations trying to get a bank account, a tax number, etc.

Which brings us onto the sharp end of the satire. Which is: what’s so great about the UK, anyway? Particularly when the reason Brexit is still in the headlines is for its almost complete lack of benefits. And yet, we still come here. So I guess it’s a bit more nuanced: the tension between the possibilities a move to somewhere like London offers, clashing with the sometimes harsh realities of xenophobia, bureaucracy, erasure of identity, isolation, and financial struggle.

I must make a very important point here. Miss Brexit is (as a good satire should be) a lot more fun than its underlying messages. As well as the performers already mentioned it features George Berry as MC, stitching the proceedings together with high energy, jokes, plenty of national pride, and a healthy amount of audience interaction. Music by Harvey Cartlidge balances serious moments with humour, as does Amaia Mugica and Alejandro Postigo‘s direction. And the talents amongst the cast makes for an energising, silly, fun evening of physical comedy, musical range, and heartfelt moments. I can see from reading reviews of previous runs that the work is still evolving, and there are some places where it could do with a bit more overall polish. But I can recommend it as a fun and thought-provoking night out.

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

Miss Brexit on until 15 February 2025