On entering Venue 13 I am blown away by the inspired set pieces. Hanging from the ceiling were carpets with the patterns cut out, the excess fabric scattered around the stage. There are rose petals covering the floor, and the minor-key notes of a seductive tune begin to flood the room as a woman appears in the hooded light, her body pulsing to the beat. From the start to the end Broken Wing was a production gorgeous to behold for its fascinating story, beautiful language and shocking realisations.The Fringe-First-nominated playwright, Leila Ghaznavi, has woven an enchanting tale about cultural boundaries, social oppression, revolution and human nature. The plot follows an Iranian husband and wife who have an American National Geographic photographer staying with them for the Damascus Rose Harvests. The wife is much younger than her husband, and they have an interesting background to their relationship. She is immediately taken with the American and they form a close relationship, which gradually progresses to a physical level. The scenes leap from past to present and the audience are given snippets of the back-story while comprehending the current consequences.The professionalism of the cast cannot be faulted, the three actors have strong stage presences and perfectly embody each of the characters they were portraying. I do however feel that the production overall was a little disjointed. There was not enough in-depth, emotional characterisation to properly invest the audience in the 40 minutes provided, which lead to a rush to conclude the story, cancelling out the romanticism of earlier scenes.It is still an extremely poignant narrative, even with these short-comings, and an accomplishment that all those who are involved in should be proud of.
