Summarize this content to 2000 words in 6 paragraphs in Arabic Unlock the Editor’s Digest for freeRoula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.“I have a good feeling about this,” says Markos, about his newfound enthusiasm for cryptocurrency to his sceptical partner — which is surely the investment equivalent of a doctor in a medical soap reassuring a worried relative that “everything’s going to be fine”. And naturally, Markos’s good feeling turns out to be misplaced. Why? Because Markos is investing not just in Bitcoin but in hope: hope that this time things will turn out well.Set in 2021, Beru Tessema’s fascinating, if patchy, new play about cryptocurrency clearly bears the imprint of the Sam Bankman-Fried scandal. But his focus is not so much the guys at the top as on the ordinary people affected, in this case, those who live on a housing estate in Bow, east London, many of whom are Black. It’s the appeal of the scheme that interests Tessema: the potential for something different and the gap between potential and execution.At the centre of the storm is Manny, an impetuous but likeable mixed-heritage 21-year-old. We first meet him trying to make something of his life by flogging supposedly high-end merchandise at bargain-basement prices on Instagram. But when people start demanding their money back — turns out those Gucci bags were fake — Manny finds himself in hot water.Suddenly, his mate Abdul’s obsession with cryptocurrency looks more interesting. Before he knows it, Manny is up all night, every night, staring obsessively at a screen as his investments tick ever upwards. Keen to secure a position with currency exchange DGX, he is soon enticing his mum’s boyfriend Markos (Ery Nzaramba), who puts in his life savings, along with many other hard-pressed people on the estate.Tessema writes crackling dialogue for Manny and Abdul, digging into the dreams and frustrations of these young men, who burn to escape their socio-economic background and who face a future of precarious employment. He’s great, too, on the strange, slippery nature of the virtual marketplace and online platforms. Manny’s adventures with cryptocurrency are contrasted with his mum’s (Alma Eno) tentative attempts to attract social media followers for her recipes (she dreams of opening a restaurant) and Markos’s desperate efforts to contact his son, who is fleeing Ethiopia.Daniel Bailey, who directed the superb Red Pitch, brings all of these aspects out smartly in this co-production with Tamasha theatre company, sending the characters’ online experiences scrolling across Amelia Jane Hankin’s set, and drawing vivid performances from Kieran Taylor-Ford as Manny and Hassan Najib as Abdul. But neither he nor the cast get the clunkier bits of Tessema’s play to fly. Discussions between Markos and Fevan about their plans and the impact of systemic injustice feel unwieldy, and the narrative pace is bumpy.Tessema’s subject is rich, thoughtful and timely. There’s a terrific scene in which local DGX representative Delvin, played with great charisma by Jamael Westman, addresses the local community on the opportunities presented by crypto for a financial revolution, a chance to turn their backs on banks “that made their money off slavery” and build generational wealth. Like his plans, the play has so much going for it, but doesn’t quite deliver on its promise.★★★☆☆To December 21, bushtheatre.co.uk
