Slave Play
I saw a review that started with ‘it’s impossible to review this play without spoilers’ so obviously I stopped reading. That meant for the first half hour I had absolutely no idea what was going on. Then we get a reveal, triggered by the word ‘Starbucks’ when it starts to make (just a little) more sense. Liberal in its use of degrading racial slurs and stereotypes, and with sex as a constant focus, it succeeds at keeping us uncomfortable throughout. Initially this is because of the overdone nature of what we are seeing being played out on a plantation, but after that initial reveal it gets, if anything, even more tough as we explore the undercurrents between the couples on stage. Stunning performances from everyone, but Fisayo Akinade as Gary stood out for me in particular with such a nuanced performance. The final shocking scene between Kit Harrington as Jim and Olivia Washington as Kaneisha came close, both incredibly uncomfortable and powerful, not...