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Promising take on Thatcher's legacy runs out of gas
Spot on: Rina Fantania in Approaching Empty [Helen Murray]

Approaching Empty
Kiln Theatre, London

THE DEARTH of northern voices, especially authentic working-class ones, on the London stage made the proposition of Ishy Din’s Approaching Empty an appealing one.

His third play, set in a Middlesbrough cab office, draws directly on his experiences as a taxi driver in the city and explores the post-industrial fortunes of middle-aged Asian men against the fitting backdrop of Margaret Thatcher's death in 2013.

It gets off to a lively start, with ruthless entrepreneur Raf (Nicholas Khan) trading blows with his best friend of 40  years and well-meaning assistant Mansha (Kammy Darweish) over the future of the business and the legacy of Thatcher.

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