Tag: barons court theatre

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Heart – Barons Court Theatre

🎭 Heart
📍 Barons Court Theatre
đŸŽŸïž PR invite
⭐⭐⭐

Reece Lewis’ honest and personal one-man show heads to Barons Court Theatre for an evening of laughter, heartbreak and harrowing insight into the experience of a young queer man.

The story

Described as a love letter to all gay men in London, we meet Tyler – a 24-year-old mixed-race gay man from London. He adores his mum, and his friends and loves a party! But that’s not Tyler’s story – what lies beneath is far more complex. We learn that Tyler longs for a meaningful, romantic connection – which proves to be difficult to find in an era of online dating apps and casual encounters. The show also focuses on Tyler’s journey with an absent, disapproving parent.

My thoughts

We enter the theatre to various electronic dance tracks and nightclub-style lighting; this set the atmosphere of the show which I enjoyed as I admired the set. A Pride poster was centre stage, along with a multicoloured swivel chair and a Pride blanket. The set design did well to establish the theme of the show and reflect the character’s personality. Lewis had a fantastic stage presence from the moment they entered the stage. Tyler is instantly likeable, witty, and by the look of those dance moves – the life of the party! Lewis performed as multiple characters in the story effortlessly switching between the different accents and mannerisms.

‘Heart’ reveals the societal judgements gay people face, be it from family members or people in the queer community. Tyler is tired of being straight people’s ‘experiment’ and battles to find a real connection. His dating experiences are explored in a vivid scene, directed by Koreen Howel. As Tyler moves around the stage on the swivel chair, scrolling through explicit and racist Grindr messages, we can’t help but feel sorrow.

The show captures the freedom Tyler finds in queer spaces, the feeling of safety, and a space to be his true self. It was beautiful to hear and warmed my heart. The rhythmic, and slightly poetic script also nicely portrayed Tyler’s stream of consciousness.

While the show moved at a fast pace, some transitions felt disjointed and too abrupt. I liked some lighting choices throughout, including the warm blue for softer scenes. But during a moment of intimacy, we had a deep shade of red lighting but this was quickly turned off, despite the ongoing scene.

We lean into more sensitive themes, involving Tyler’s father, who is disapproving of his son’s sexuality and is abusive. The last scenes focused on their relationship and despite the poignant moments, this felt like a drawn-out conclusion. Tyler’s journey with his love interest seemed like the more fitting way to conclude the show. Considering the production is described as a love letter to the gay community in London, I wasn’t sure where the final 25 minutes fit into that. Nonetheless, I still appreciated the themes throughout the show. Reece Lewis is a strong performer and writer and I especially loved seeing a gay, mixed-race character (we need more POC queer stories!).

‘Heart’ is playing at Barons Court Theatre until 19 August 2023. You can buy a ticket online here!

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The High Life – Barons Court Theatre

🎭 The High Life
📍 Barons Court Theatre
đŸŽ« PR invite
⭐⭐⭐

Scott Younger’s new play The High Life heads to Barons Court theatre for a funny yet honest portrayal of toxic work environments.

The story

The story follows Kayla (Feyisara Mendes) a graduate who moved to London and began work in a hipster coffee shop. Kayla dreams of having a ‘proper’ job and after a run-in with an old acquaintance, she soon lands a new role at a PR firm. We follow Kayla on her journey at Performance PR, and the eventual burnout she experiences. The complicated (and secret!) relationship with her boss paired with the workload, takes a toll on Kayla and she results to alcohol as a coping mechanism.

My thoughts

‘The High Life’ is humourous, and at times heartbreaking, as we witness Kayla’s decline throughout her time at the PR firm. 

Directed by Sarah Githugu, Mendes gave a strong performance and their comedic timing was brilliant. They skillfully captured our attention and maintained high energy throughout the 2 hour-long solo show. The character, Kayla, was incredibly likeable from the moment she entered the stage, dancing to Whitney Houston and retelling funny stories about her cafe job.

Mendes performed various characters in the story, effortlessly switching between accents and mannerisms. While I did notice some slip-ups, they still delivered a great performance and I especially enjoyed the emotive range we were shown by Mendes. Act 2 features a more vulnerable Kayla as she struggles with the pressure to be ‘successful’ and becomes reliant on alcohol to manage her stress.

Younger’s writing is authentic and sheds light on a multitude of issues, that sadly may feel familiar to many of us 20-somethings-year-olds. Kayla experiences casual racism from clients, sexual harassment from strangers and dodgy propositions from landlords. On top of that, her boyfriend’s behaviour seems to knock her confidence, making Kayla question her ability in the job.

While I appreciated all the themes, some scenes (the Dubai work trip) were too long and didn’t necessarily add much to the overall story. Other scenarios with Kayla’s boss/boyfriend also felt predictable.

I commend Younger for writing a unique play that explores a young black woman’s experience in toxic workplaces. Going a step further to delve deep and highlight industry racism would have elevated the story even more. From hearing the description of Kayla’s colleagues who quit or were fired, there is something to be said about them all being women of colour. This could have been an interesting plot to focus on, especially as Kayla acknowledged that her white colleagues and Darren seem to get away with doing minimal work. 

Overall, I enjoyed ‘The High Life‘. The creative team have developed an original piece of theatre, performed wonderfully by Mendes. With some minimised scenes and more focus on specific issues, this story could be even stronger. I’m looking forward to where it will go next!

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I am not Black – Barons Court Theatre

🎭 I am not Black
📍 Barons Court Theatre
đŸŽ« PR invite
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Written and performed by Akin Wright, ‘I am not Black’ is a coming-of-age story, exploring one man’s plight of growing up in an environment where he was ‘‘too white for the black kids and too white for the white kids”. Directed by Joseph Junkere, this one-man show is funny, powerful and an honest exploration of the black experience.

The story

When Temz Thomas (Akin Wright) is invited by his former school to give a speech to current students, this sparks a trip down memory lane. As he finds an old Blackberry phone, Temz begins to reminisce of his experiences at school. He reveals the microaggressions and casual racism faced during that time and reflects on what it was like to feel as though he didn’t belong.

As Temz dresses in school uniform, he shares what it was like being at a private all-boys school, where he was one of few black students, and made to feel othered. Temz succumbed to the jokes about his race as well as the negative and ridiculous stereotypes about Black people. We also discover the jokes sadly continued outside of school, and in his church community.

My thoughts

Wright incorporates many colloquial phrases and cultural references that were all too familiar to me. Blackberry phones, Channel U, and even the CGP GCSE books sprawled on the floor took me back to my own younger years. The set design was simple but was enough to transport the audience back to Temz’s school days.

Racism is a key theme throughout the play, as well as belonging. It’s tough to hear, but I commend the script for being authentic and not diminishing the experiences many young black kids have faced.

Wright’s storytelling is engaging, and they successfully capture our attention for all 60 minutes. The writing is entertaining, quick-witted, and included so many nostalgic references that made me chuckle (The Blackberry battery hack was such a throwback!). There’s also a nice balance between the humour and the serious nature of the topic.  

I enjoyed the pacing of the show. Even with all the content and backstories, it didn’t feel rushed. There was multi-roleplaying from Wright, as they portrayed the supporting characters in Temz’s life. At times, it was difficult to keep up with the number of characters in the story. Wright did a great job at performing them all and I particularly liked the use of audio during conversations with other characters.  

The second half was the strongest, as we saw even more emotion from our protagonist. Temz lets out pent-up frustrations from the years of casual racism faced by his peers, teachers, and his own community. Under Jinkere’s powerful direction, we see Temz sit in the middle of the stage, lights dimmed, revealing a written wall of racial slurs and microaggressions. This was my standout and such a profound way to echo the stories Temz shared.

In an impassioned poem, Temz rightfully expresses that black people are not a monolith. We are unique. Personally, I am proud there are shows like ‘I Am Not Black’ that have the platform to share our unfiltered stories and experiences.

‘I am not Black’ is playing at Barons Court Theatre until 4 February. (Although tickets have sold out!)

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Morveren – Barons Court Theatre

🎭 Morveren
📍 Barons Court Theatre
đŸŽ« Gifted
⭐⭐⭐

Drawing upon Cornish mythology, ‘Morveren’ is a story that explores three generations of women and the importance of community.

Written by Kate Webster and directed by Lou Corben, Morveren includes a musical arrangement by Becki Jayne Reed and audio clips of the ocean breeze, setting the scene, and transporting the audience to Cornwall.

The story

The play begins with Keren (Charlotte Blandford), an ambitious banker, arriving at a coastal Cornish village for a work project, with her daughter, Ellie (Aysha Niwaz).

Keren is a workaholic, eager to please her boss and earn a promotion. Ellie is fascinated with mermaids and the sea, carrying around the Disney Princess Ariel backpack *and* an Ariel toy. Ellie’s curiosity, and desire to be a mermaid, lead her to take a swim in the sea, much to her mother’s obliviousness.

In another scene, Morwen (Alessandra Perotto) notices Ellie struggling in the water and sets out to rescue her. Here we learn that Morwen is Keren’s grandmother and has not seen Keren in years, nor has she met her great-granddaughter, Ellie. Morwen, the matriarch of the village, stresses the importance of protecting their home and passing down wisdom to Keren and Ellie. Keren displays snobbery about her hometown, wondering why the same people are still living and working in a village so rural, her GPS watch can’t track her.

My thoughts

The pacing did feel slow and it took a while for the story to unravel. Act 2 certainly had more dramatic elements and revealed details of an unfortunate accident, which caused Keren to leave the village.

I enjoyed the duologues between the characters; Ellie and Morwen’s conversation about mermaids was endearing. Although unclear how old Ellie was meant to be, Niwaz did a great job at portraying the innocence mixed with inquisitiveness you’d associate with a young child. I also liked the staging in this particular scene. The set design was simple, with a sole rock situated at the corner of the stage. A clever and subtle directional choice from Corben, having Ellie positioned in a way we’d imagine a mermaid to lay.

The actors all gave strong performances, especially during the tense scene with Keren and Morwen. Their role as grandmother and granddaughter was believable and their scenes felt natural.

While the strengths lay within the performances, the story felt disjointed. I would have loved more cohesion between the moments of drama.  In my opinion, certain scenes and even intervals of dialogue from Keren interrupted the flow. Other scenes felt like a filler and could have been minimised. I would have also liked more exploration into Cornish mythology.

Keren’s character journey was a standout – Blandford played the role exceptionally well and convincingly displayed a range of emotions. Keren went from being distant, even a bit rigid to showing a softer, vulnerable side.

With great characters, who shone in their individual roles, Morveren is a heart-warming family play, emphasising the value of having a community, forming family bonds and womanhood.

Morveren is playing at Barons Court Theatre until Saturday 28 January 2023. You can get tickets online.