Alterations
This week’s outing was back to the Lyttleton for this play from the '70s. Written by Michael Abbensetts, it was dusted off from the National Theatre Archive, with additional writing by Trish Cooke. Set entirely in his scruffy tailoring shop, Walker is trying to complete an order that will give him the money to realise his dream to open a proper suit shop. The play encompasses the dreams that he and his wife had when they emigrated from Guyana as well as his dreams for the future. We see how trying to achieve his aspirations has taken a toll on his family life and the 'alterations' in dreams and expectations has affected everyone. The context and challenges of life in Britain as a Black person in the 1970s are drawn out through the rest of the ensemble and the conversations they have in, and the only white character, a Jewish immigrant from an earlier time gives an extra dimension to the stories about making your way in a new country. The pe...