Adapted for the stage by Osamah Sami and Janice Muller from Sami’s book of the same title, Good Muslim Boy is a powerful piece of autobiographical theatre that takes the audience on an emotional journey from Coburg to Iran and back again, guided by the work’s real-life protagonist.

Osamah Sami in Good Muslim Boy. All photos © Tim Grey

Born in war-torn Iran to Iraqi parents, Osamah Sami is an award-winning actor, writer, director, stand-up comedian, and spoken word artist. His memoir Good Muslim Boy was published by Hardie Grant and won the New South Wales Premier’s Literary Award. The book inspired the 2017 film Ali’s Wedding, also written by and starring Sami, as well as being adapted for the stage in this production, which is directed by Janice Muller.

In the grips of a quarter-life crisis, Osamah reluctantly agrees to accompany his father, one of Australia’s leading Islamic clerics, on a pilgrimage to Iran, where he was born. But when his father dies unexpectedly during the trip, Osamah must undertake a different kind of journey: battling red tape and racing around an unfamiliar place to get permission to return to Australia, with his father’s...