Blacklisted

Canadians have received lots of good press of late for being nice. Anyone seeing the musical Come From Away, or who admired the smiles of their photogenic Prime Minister would be left with the impression of a nation that is very tolerant.

Pakistan born Almitra Mavalvala gives another perspective of the country, in her tongue in cheek cabaret that is fascinating, funny and tuneful.

As a young woman she was desperate to leave her homeland, to visit her brother in Canada, but her Pakistani passport was a red flag to that country’s immigration officials. A visa is required for Pakistani citizens to visit almost any nation on earth and her story makes you appreciate the privileges we have in holding an Australian passport.

She was treated as a potential terrorist by Canada because her nation is an Islamic republic – which is an injustice and ironic because her actual religion is Zoroastrian.

The set is adorned in colourful fabrics and Almitra welcomes the audience into her romantic memory of her hometown Karachi.

On stage is a three-piece band comprised of keyboard, cello and the traditional sub-continent musical instrument, the Sitar.

There is one borrowed song in the cabaret, "Blame Canada" by the South Park team, but apart from that there is a whole plate of scrumptious original tunes and clever lyrics. The style is light pop, blues and traditional Pakistani fare.

Almitra Mavalvala is engaging and charismatic. It was a heartfelt insight into the challenges of leaving your family behind to start a new life in a new country.

There still a little room for improvement in the presentation and narrative. Almitra’s entrance onto the stage was a little too casual and almost felt like she was a member of the audience who wandered on.

Also, I was left with a few questions about her story – particularly why coming to Australia was so much easier than Canada.

But this was a fine early outing for this piece which is neatly divided into two chapters - Immigration Sucks and then The Journey Home.

David Spicer