Farhan arrives with his schoolbag still slung over his shoulder. Sadiq already has a Motorola flip phone. It’s 1997, the middle of the day, and somewhere in a London nightclub, the beat is about to drop. What follows is a fast-paced, poetic, and honest ride through a few stolen hours of freedom—and the difficult dance between duty and desire.
Daytime Deewane, written by UK playwright Azan Ahmed and presented by Riverside’s National Theatre of Parramatta, is coming to Riverside’s Live at PHIVE in Parramatta this October. The story follows two cousins as they step into the legendary world of daytime raves that once brought together a generation of young British South Asians.
The rave scene of the 1990s was its own kind of escape hatch. A place where boys like Farhan and Sadiq could cut loose in broad daylight, away from the rigid expectations that trailed them at school, home, and mosque. On the surface, the show spins through banging Bhangra beats and high-energy dancefloor moments, but underneath it’s quietly asking deeper questions. What does it mean to be a “good Muslim boy”? What does a proper British man look like? And is there space for both inside the same body?
“Daytime Deewane is a tender portrait of what it means to be torn between respect and rebellion,” the producers say. But don’t expect a slow meditation. The 70-minute production is tightly choreographed and leans into its spoken word roots, with rhythms and rhymes that bounce off the beat, echoing the inner thoughts of the characters as much as the music around them.
Ahmed, a London-based writer and performer, has carved out a reputation for his lyrical style and fresh lens on British-Asian identity. His previous work includes collaborations with the Royal Exchange Theatre and appearances on BBC platforms. Daytime Deewane is one of his most intimate works to date, rooted in lived experience and drawn from stories passed through community networks.
The show’s title takes inspiration from the Hindi-Urdu word “Deewane”, meaning someone madly in love or lost in passion. It’s a deliberate contradiction: wild abandon, but in the middle of the day. As Farhan and Sadiq lose themselves in the basslines, they’re not just partying. They’re trying to rewrite the script of who they’re supposed to be.
Music plays a starring role here. The production blends original tracks with the unmistakable pulse of ‘90s South Asian party culture, layering traditional sounds with the beat of rebellion. Bhangra and garage collide. House meets desi rhythm. And every track becomes a line in the story—louder than words, but still speaking volumes.
The cast is small but electric, with the performers moving between scenes, characters, and moods in fluid choreography that matches the urgency of the text. The nightclub set-up is part of the story. The audience is drawn in like extra revellers, invited to feel the tension between the characters and their world rather than just observe it.
By situating its story in the unlikely setting of a school day rave, Daytime Deewane turns the club into something much more than a party venue. It becomes a temporary homeland. A space without judgement. A place where identities can be tried on and shrugged off, and where questions about masculinity, belonging, and faith don’t come with consequences—at least not until the music stops.
Performances run from 16 to 25 October at Riverside: Live at PHIVE in Parramatta Square. Whether you’re a second-generation immigrant, a ‘90s music tragic, or simply someone who remembers what it felt like to want to escape for a few hours, this show might just take you back—or forward—to a moment where anything feels possible.
For ticket information and bookings, visit the Riverside Theatres website.
- Dates: 16-25 October
- Location: Riverside: Live at Phive, PHIVE, Parramatta Square
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