Peanut Butter & Blueberries Review: you can't help but smile for this Muslim-affirming rom-com
27 October 2026 | 19:15 | Leeds Playhouse (Courtyard)
⭐⭐⭐⭐ | PR - Invite
If you follow the off-West End theatre scene, you may already have heard of Peanut Butter & Blueberries, a contemporary rom-com from writer Suhaiymah Manzoor-Khan. Tonight marks its regional premiere, last seen at London's Kiln Theatre for its debut in July 2024. The play offers an authentic lens on British-Muslim romance, which is grounded in intellectual connection rather than premarital intimacy.
Two university students face the experience of university in London, miles away from their homes in Bradford and Birmingham. Hafsah is a bookish and ambitious young woman, who is deeply in touch with her Islamic faith. Bilal is more laid-back in nature, and just wants to get his degree. Except one fateful afternoon, a peanut butter and blueberry sandwich brings the pair together, sparking an unexpected romance for the two northerners.
The strength in Manzoor-Khan's writing is that it doesn't succumb to reductive tropes of radicalisation or assimilation for its Muslim protagonists. Although the script tackles Islamophobia and domestic abuse (recommended 12+), Hafsah and Bilal practice their values and are proud of their religion - notably seeing a glimpse of Ramadan in one scene. Leeds Playhouse also support the run by hosting prayer spaces, and holding a non-alcoholic bar on Level 1 (by the box office) featuring a themed blueberry latte and hot chocolate.
Humera Syed has an initial timidness to her character, whose introspective Hafsah softens as we get to know her. From highly studious, soon blossoming into a fiercely independent and compassionate lead. Opposite her as Brummie cool-dude Bilal, Kashif Ghole is tremendously likeable despite his occasionally defensive nature. Given Bilal's complex circumstances, Ghole shifts through every scene with such emotional maturity, always remaining so human and present.
As a two-hander, the play's closeness allows Hafsah and Bilal's will-they-or-won't-they relationship to feel so personal and quaint. Syed and Ghole share a winsome chemistry, with awkward clichés that make audiences beam with joy; the room fills with laughter as a testament to how adorable these two are together! Hafs declares her love for Bilal through a Jennifer Grey quote from Dirty Dancing, they repeatedly meet at 'their' park bench, talk about having children while on Hampstead Heath, and are later separated by the Atlantic as Hafsah travels to New York. It's a rom-com we recognise and champion, but with a freshness to it.
Despite being performed by just two actors, invisible characters Mythri (Hafs' friend) and Abdulla (Bilal's housemate) broaden their little, contained world. Sometimes text is delivered as dialogue, other times breaking the fourth wall to narrate internal opinions. It begins as a slow-burner, but quickly finds a swift pace with light and shade. With the 'mighty Mythri' throwing overprotective scowls at Bilal, or Abdulla engaging in an animated debate with Hafs on gender studies, we may not visually meet them, yet I leave the theatre feeling that I know them as fully fleshed-out people. And I normally loathe invisible characters!
Khadija Raza's design for this production leans into the representational rather than literal, with a curtain of fringe material hung upstage. Set pieces arrive on a revolve that slides through this semi-transparent curtain, and strings of grey fringe stick to tables and chairs like cobwebs. Perhaps that we are observing Hafsah and Bilal's relationship preserved in memory, brought out from history and into the present to be relived once more. Warm, mellow lighting designs (Rajiv Pattani) and gentle instrumentals (sound design by Helen Skiera) accompany transitions, sewing scenes together with a light, and almost magical finesse to non-spoken moments.
Directed by Sameena Hussain, you can't help but smile with adoration for Peanut Butter & Blueberries. An encouraging example of not giving into the harmful stereotypes placed on Muslims in the media, instead exposing white-British bias and embracing authentic Asian heritage on the stage. Multilingual and politically thoughtful (if slightly on the nose), this in-house production from Leeds Playhouse is a heart-warming romance that I could recommend to anyone.
Playing until the 7th November: https://www.leedsplayhouse.org.uk/event/peanut-butter-blueberries/
