It’s a solo date for me as I head to Alphabetti Theatre to review Dial 1 For UK Show, here for one night only…
It’s a Wednesday night, and I’m heading out on a solo date. I haven’t left my house since Saturday, so stepping out feels heavy. And on my own!
To be completely honest, a part of me wants to stay in, spend hours scrolling through reels, and probably crash out.
It would be an understatement to say I’ve had an interesting past few days. So, riddled with anxiety but pushing through, I’m heading to Alphabetti Theatre alone. I usually don’t mind it, but this time feels different. I have no one to distract my thoughts, the Uber ride feels incredibly long, and I’m not particularly fond of small talk with the driver.
While he’s yapping about whatever, I’m trying to ease my anxiety, thinking about how many things I’ve done on my own and turned out fine. I moved to the Netherlands on my own. I did presentations and assignments on my own. And I passed my driving test on my own.
I’ve got it, right?
Arrival
It’s my first time at Alphabetti Theatre, and when I step in, the first thing I notice is the atmosphere. It’s not intimidating, quite the opposite, actually: warm, inviting, and pleasant.
After taking a look around, I head toward the bar and order myself a big glass of rosé. This will be my second one tonight, and a much-needed one, if I can take a moment to justify this alcy behaviour.
Review: Dial 1 for UK
Taking a seat and looking around, I already know that I like Alphabetti Theatre. It’s small, simple, and charming. There’s no raised stage; the action is happening right in front of the audience. So close, you could touch the few props in the very middle.
The lights dim, and out steps a man: Uday Kumar, or UK, for short.
UK works in a call centre back in New Delhi, answering angry phone calls and enquiries about cryptocurrency. Uday is not happy with his life, and honestly, who could blame him? I don’t know many people dreaming of careers in call centres. I should know, I used to work in one.
And here, much like myself years ago, Uday dreams of a life in the United Kingdom: a better life, tea with the royals, and the highly praised fish and chips. When the opportunity presents itself for Uday to hop on a plane and land in the UK, he, undoubtedly takes it.
However, life here is different from what he had imagined. Working in the care sector is not easy, and finding a job that’s better than looking after an old man isn’t easy either, especially when Uday came to the UK on a student visa that is now no longer valid.
Undocumented and struggling to make ends meet, he still can’t let go of the idea of the UK, the promised land.
Dial 1 for UK: The Performance
I always admire one-man shows. While I was battling my anxiety just getting here on my own, the wonderful Mohit Mathur, playing Uday, was entertaining an audience of around 30, all by himself. And what a performance it is.
The show is funny (the part where Uday calls Sunderland University an esteemed institution gets a big laugh), full of relevant social commentary, and incredibly important.
The ending stirs something in me. Uday, after years of struggling in the UK, is giving an interview to a news outlet, talking about how different life here is from what he imagined, then asks the cameraman to start again. On the second take, Uday turns it around and says everything here is great.
It’s such a beautifully human ending to a show about hope, aspirations, dreams, and brutal reality, told through a character that reminds me of a younger version of myself: naïve, driven, eager to move abroad, full of moments of desperation, but above all, always able to find a glimmer of positivity in every crap situation.
Dial 1 for UK is currently on tour in Edinburgh, before it announces its UK tour in Autumn 2025. Stay in the loop here.