JEZEBEL provides both a theatrical showcase & an artistic abstract preview on late 90’s to modern day Hip hop & its cultural loopholes!

Diving straight into how black women especially have been and continue to experimentally explore their bodily freeness, expression of art through a women’s untapped sexiness, sensual & rhythmic nature in catchy, loved music videos whilst splashing waves of controversy through sexual exploitation where we’re suddenly hit with the reality of pleasure & pain working in synchronicity.

JEZEBEL is performed, produced & choreographed by Cherish Menzo & Co-Produced by Frascati Producties. Jezebel is a dance performance which explores the themes of mental strain, sexual exploitation and the creativity of black music lyrically/rhythmically in dancehall and hip hop, as well as acceptance, acceptance of bodies & owning how it feels & appears to magnify confidence.

From video vixen imagery the audience metaphorically witness through Cherish’s dancing pure fiery sexual pleasure, nature & women divine energy. Whilst embodying a video vixens version of freedom of expression through sex via dance, passion & physical exhaustion. Cherish exhibits power wearing hot pink leather Spanx with a pink crop top, open legged poses and erotic, unleaded movements. If Jezebel’s aim is about video vixens coming into their own power this was transparent & harnessed well with female dominance.

The multimedia & incorporation of the lyrics like ‘OOchie Wally’ by Nas explicitly & unapologetically talks about sex & ‘Big Pimpin’ by Jayz is well remixed so we only get to hear Cherish’s voice – impressive! We heard soundtracks specifically produced for JEZEBEL from Artist composer; Michael Nunes, which helped to add a distinctive atmosphere & ambience; as we experienced gunshots, hypnotic motions and individuality.

From dark blue illuminated midst, dim to flashing lights, smokey haze to mysterious gaze on her bicycle to the reveal of fur coats, long nails, gold dentures & saliva drooling from Cherish’s mouth you can honestly expect the unexpected from all angles, delivering various perspectives.

JEZEBEL is attention gripping just as it were if you were watching an enticing music video filled with booty popping, dance sexual explosions & classic, authentic rapping. Eye opening on gender disparities in the music industry as well as negative connotations linked to women objectiveness, obsession & thrill, controversy & untapped battles Nubian women face in the lost language of hip hop culture!

(4 / 5)

‘A Shoddy Detective & The Art of Deception’ features four energetic and talented actors; Becky Bartram, Luke Rose, Jordan Stratton and Mitch Donaldson. This play is amusingly cheerful from the offset; fuzzy smiles, warm welcomes & teases from the cast towards the audience casually strolling in, intrinsically lures the crowd in towards an evening of helpless chuckles, laughter, innuendos & classic banter for all age groups to understand & absorb well.

When the Great Lord & Lady Raeburn discover at their auction that their masterpiece painting has been stolen, instant panic and fear hits them hardcore. The Detectives are immediately contacted to intervene & catch the wanted thief! Assigned to this case is the disgraceful slacker ‘Brian Taylor’ who gets partnered up alongside the sharp & genius detective ‘Dusty Wills’ to help him get to the bottom of the crime investigation. 

Upon questioning and close examination, each and every one of Lord Raeburn’s staff and guests pays off nicely as they mysteriously get closer & closer to catching the mysterious thief by unlocking the houses deep, dark & deadly secrets; both the known and unknown, taking us all on an adventure to conquer this painting investigation. The multi-characterisation in this play is impressive, as well as the dashes of romance, excitement and enticement which continues throughout.

Overall, the actors held their accents well, their charm and witty humour and quick costume changes is well maintained, being the cushion of a true comedic parody which gives this play a unique comedic style. Whilst ‘Brian Taylor’ played by Luke Rose represents a shoddy detective without a doubt due to his slapstick act during the all cast fight scene towards the end, his helpless flirtatious moments and plot twists to win against the odds… not only satisfying to watch as we track down the smooth criminal but most definitely a good laugh too!

(4 / 5)

Sad is a deep dark comedy about the messiness of life, fragmented mental breakdowns & the overall sadness that the effects of life can have on humanity as a result of loss, failure, regret, disappointment & remorse.

Sad is produced by Felicity Paterson, directed by Marie McCarthy and written by ‘Victoria Willing’ held at the Omnibus Theatre starring Debra Baker as Gloria, Kevin Golding as Graham, Daniel as Lucus Hare & Izabella Urbanowicz as Magda. Sad explores the themes of pain, fear, loneliness, hurt, distress and trauma.

The powerful emotions felt when watching this play are super relatable! The original & authentic scenarios & resonating characters which we’ve all encountered at some stage in our lives is why! A truly strong emphasis on passive aggression, discrimination, subjection, perversion, secrecy, corruption, societal class, relationship issues and dysfunctional families.

Real life inflicting experiences which all contribute towards making our worlds an even sadder place from the outside looking in! Not to mention being let down by the system when they’re the only ones we can depend on. Sad!

Gloria, the adorable agitator & irritated instigator lives with her partner Graham in solitude where she finds harmony alone by herself, squating in the attic all day. Gloria’s conflicting insecurities & mid life crisis mentally blocks her till she refuses to express herself without being contentious. Being affectionate, loveable, warm & transparent towards her loved ones is too much to redeem. Pride soon becomes the foundation of Gloria eating away at her friendships, costing her relationship and being the ultimate maker or breaker of her destiny which only she can decide alongside Grapham’s support!

A compelling production that gives a strong reminder into a broken elderly woman’s mindset, livelihood and ongoing struggles which proves old age doesn’t mean life’s completely figured out! A play to help us acknowledge the what ifs and buts as we journal are life events! how easy life gradually becomes to loose yourself whilst trying to re-find yourself in the midsts of the internal chaos we desperately try to suppress rather than address.

In the heart of Peckham, Theatre Peckham showcased ‘The Wonderful – there’s no place like Peckham’. Prior to the show, Theatre Peckham kicked off in festive spirit style. The atmosphere in the theatre once you’d entered lingered with seasonal warmth from Christmassy smells oozing from moist raisons in delicious mince pies, citrusy bursts from mulled wine, fizz bubbling Prosecco, orange juice and original home-made Kromati rum.

The set designer; Emma Wee made good impressions from the get go! As soon as you walked in to Theatre Peckham you were greeted by the fantasy realm, the designs won the hearts of both children and adults due to the familiar elements from memory lane from our beloved musicals; such as the yellow brick road from the Wizard of OZ, which lead the audience up the staircase to see the show.

‘The Wonderful’ is a vibrant unique pantomime production, wonderfully infused with great concepts inspired by ‘Black Panther’ & the ‘Wizard of OZ’. ‘THE WONDERFUL’ is a modern twist of fanatical & mystical fairy tales guaranteed to offer vibrancy that’ll stimulate enough laughter to keep you wanting more! 

Well delivered and received cultural innovation from Africa, with an abundance of hip hop groove, vogue, topped with well-choreographed dance moves and catchy singing verses from the entire cast which belted into sweet harmonies from the souls and hearts of the audience subconsciously. This production would not have been possible without the creative team – Director; Geoff Aymer, musical director; Ben Christopher, writer; Suzanne Mcclean, lighting designer; Designer; designer; Katrina Russell Adams, Tim Speechly, choreograpgher; Christopher Tendai, Composer; Jordan Xavier, and Set & costume; Emma Wee. 

‘The Wonderful’ features a modernised twist of Afrofuturism where an unstoppable crew expanded on the pros & cons of how Artificial intelligence feels from a non-existent soul, (Cyri) played by ‘Amy Bianchi’, social media (Tik Tok) played in the form of a dog by ‘Sebastian Chambers’, technology, Pinky without the brain ‘Manny’ played by ‘Billy Lynch’ and the evil forces in the midsts of realty & fantasy from villain ‘AyGum’ played by ‘Tarisha Rommick’ and the sensation & importance of community from the fellow cast.

The moral of this production was that irrespective of personal missions, challenges are inevitable, however in spite of disasters there is always hope to allow us to overcome. Greatly presented by the main character ‘Efe’ played by Ashleigh Mae, who achieved and accomplished her pursuit of happiness from clarity to realisation within the fantasy world, which prepared her for the physical conscious realm back home in Peckham. Transpiring from the realistic elements experienced in households where we tend to feel misunderstood & unheard at times.

‘The Wonderful’ featured not only local talent but fun, upbeat and enchanting talent from the young company dance team. Having the presence of children in this play exuded a youthful experience which made this play even more worthwhile to watch and enjoy.

‘The Wonderful’ is a true magical reflection sprung to life, this production takes each audience member on an unforgettable adventure. Each character sparkled mystical stardust of optimism, laughter and the feelings of hope. The modern spin of the ‘Wizard of OZ’ & ‘Black Panther’ provided exceptional strengths that alienated distorted weaknesses from each character- highlighted by the hilarious & wacky character ‘The Wonderful’- played by ‘Ray Emmet’.

From magic machinery, dazzling flashing lights displayed on the multi- colourful set, dance, spice & everything nice, sass and so much more… the passion, music and entertainment expressed from all of the above is enough to keep you wide awake throughout!

“Remember me more than a fighting man and the choice I made for the greater plan”

‘Our War’ is directed by Andrew Ashaye & produced by Imole Theatre Company (Lola Oteh). Our War is an emotionally compelling story from the lens of the fellow Nigerians Ola, Tommy and Christian, as they travel from their native land Nigeria. Encouraged to partake in World War II as Nigeria at the time was a British colony; which left young men & women feeling as if they had no other choice or say in the matter, just wanting to make their mothers proud. Nigerian men & woman were not only having to leave sunny Nigeria, their families & parents; but the feeling of hope, unknowing whether they’d ever get reunited with their loved ones again. A flight with no guarantee of return, but of the sounds of explosive nuclear bombs, the height of World War II became their history.

After the play, I was keen to speak with Lola Oteh to hear what sparked her interest in the concept of ‘Our War’. Lola mentioned it was when she’d realised the vast absence of African & West Indian soldiers who were not widely acknowledged or recognised in being Britain’s key players fighting for the country.

Once Ola (the nurse), Tommy & Christian arrived to Britain, they experienced the national terror of war on the battlefield and the harsh realities of being Black in the army and in the local community. This entailed not only segregation for the coloured but their uniform differences to.

In conversation with Lola Oteh & Andrew Ashaye after the play, it became clear that Our War came together after an abundance of research from various sources from black cultural archives, etc. was carried out. Where autobiographies, real names, times & untold stories were incorporated into the play to ensure they portrayed life as realistically as possible during that era. Perfectly depicting the characteristics, mindsets & attitude of those in authority as well as the veteran desperately missing their motherland. ‘Our War’ perfectly dramatises the bravery of forgotten heroes, Black African and Caribbean men and women who contributed and made sacrifices for the war effort in Britain.

This production was majestically infused with elements of Nigerian culture through compelling dialogue & sweet singing in Yoruba; penetrating the audience hearts. Lola Oteh’s cultural influence was deeply embedded to create a platform in which original and innovative stories could be told. Drama and performance was greatly used in ‘Our War’ to magnify history bringing the past back to life and giving us a voice to stories that might not always be heard.

Small Change is written by Peter Gill & presented by Both Barrels Theatre. The play takes you on a journey of self-discovery from childhood to manhood as well as a poetic adventures exploring themes closely linked to identity, undealt issues, mental arrest, poverty & self-reflection. This play is set on the east side of Cardiff in the 1950s and 70s, which was known mainly from the characters’ accents.  Small Change centres around Gerard, a troubled man at the end of youth, trapped by his past mentally & emotionally. The play begins with Gerard and Vincent beginning as teenagers getting up to mischief, as though they were schoolboys finding things to do to relieve their boredom.

The Mis-en-scene in this production is kept simple, the set is made up of huge long rectangular blocks, which gets moved throughout. This play has to be well followed to grasp any surrounding narrative of who’s being directly referred to as there’s a lot of continuous character switches.  

Mrs Driscoll (Tameka Mortimer) struggles to cope as her complex home life feels surreal & distressing, she suspects that Mr Driscoll is seeing someone else due to his consistent absences from their house. Vincent, her son, had been thrown out of his local Catholic parish church – not much luck follows him soon after as his friend Gerard (Andy Rush) ends up drowning with guilt during adulthood, meanwhile Gerard’s mother, Mrs Harte played by (Sioned Jones) who’s character is extremely feisty as well as outspoken & consolidating has a strong nature to bite, however simultaneously loves her husband regardless.

The production portrays the impact of the past, present and future fairly well. The play become slightly unclear towards the end as situations portrayed climax differently, causing greater understanding although the understanding in the first place was not so transparent, it’s revealed towards the end that there are certain things that were left unsaid in an era when homosexuality was still illegal in Britain. Here, we begin to see expressions of love between the two men on stage – however, despite the private setting of their conversation, it doesn’t quite convince Vincent causing them to distance further.

During this play sexual orientation is not, in any event, the central point of the show, which appears to be more to do with exploring why it is that people are driven to behave in certain ways. Whilst talking with several cast members after the play it was agreed that the script was slightly confusing, some felt that same way when they were first exposed to the script, I was slightly surprised to hear that the storyline of Mrs Driscoll was based on a true story. Overall, the humour of this play became more amusing towards the end, the small space was well used & each actor performed their characters well.    

Cast:
Sioned Jones – Mrs Harte
Tameka Mortimer – Mrs Driscoll
Andy Rush – Gerard
Toby Gordon – Vincent

Creative Team:
Directed by: George Richmond-Scott
Movement director: Rachel Wise
Set and Costume Design: Liam Bunster
Lighting Designer: Ali Hunter
Sound Designer: Lex Kosanke
Production Manager: Gabriel Finn
Casting by Jane Frisby
Photography credit: Jon Holloway

The online stream ‘Illusions of Liberty’ was Produced & Written by Lorna Wells, Directed by Aisling Gallagher, Performed by Corinne Walker as Liberty Jones, Lighting & Sound design by Chuma Emembolu, set/costume designer by Sally Hardcastle , assistant director/stage manager by Gwenan Bain, Cello played by Meera Priyanka Raja, Produced by Rebecca Dilg & Filmed by Applecarts Theatre.

The themes associated with this production are pain, health, hope judgement, loss, self-doubt, discrimination, love & wellbeing.  Illusions of Liberty is a comedic & heart-felt one woman show, featuring a live cello player whose ambience brought an intensifying effect, mainly because the musical harmony was an emotional & mental depiction of the character Liberty’s mindset. What we saw in sequences was how Liberty’s mind gradually weakened & deteriorated overtime from her internal inflictions from baring a chronic illness & the misconstrued inputs from healthcare professionals which had then left the state of her mind bewildered, detached & deprecated. The set was kept minimal and the mis-en-scene was kept simple with few infrequent light changes, deviating between dim & low lighting.

This play is the journey of a Black woman living in a biased society with a chronic illness & the feelings associated, such as losing confidence and strength, lacking security due to the disparity between misconceptions & battling the unseen of what makes her body, mind & soul feel disconnected from the world and invisibly paralysed. The sounds from the live cello were compelling, projecting various interpretations of herself before when she was a principal cellist & her now as a defiled, deflated & dismissed health-case, affected by a global illness.

Illusions of Liberty consciously aims to raise awareness on the insecurities that influences people’s self-esteem, ongoing disputes with concerned relatives, constant inward sanity checks; as well as restoring relationships that were self-doubted, eventually realising the reality to accept those who acknowledge your essential qualities such as inward beauty, sexiness, talent & humour, willing to be strong enough for the both, irrespective of brain fog and invisible lines that occasionally occur as chronic symptoms.

Liberty and her mum throughout the play struggle to connect, however they authentically synchronise with moments of laughter towards the end. The plot twist being that her mother had been battling with the chronic illness PTSD for 20yrs, never disclosing this to her loved ones. The unexpected exposure allows the mother and daughter for the first time to relate and emotionally support each other, sharing warmth & unison symbolically chanting healing, safety, support and understanding.

Illusions of Liberty is informative, transparent and resonating for many who can relate or who know of someone who can. Circulating mental, emotional, physical and spiritual complications that’s presented when faced with an invisible illness. As well as what strength, courage, perseverance and freedom truly looks like beyond the surface.