1959. The first wave of independence is sweeping across Africa and Beneatha has left the prejudice of 1950s America for a brighter future with her Nigerian husband in Lagos. But on the day they move into their new house in the white suburbs, it doesn’t take long for cracks to appear, changing the course of the rest of their lives.
Present day. Now a renowned Dean whose colleagues are questioning the role of African American studies for future generations, Beneatha returns to the same house in search of answers.
Inspired by the groundbreaking modern classic, A Raisin in the Sun, this UK premiere challenges today’s culture wars about colonial history and reckoning with the past.
Photo credit: Johan Persson.
It has been a hot minute since I last saw Chasing Hares and Oklahoma! at the Young Vic, so I was delighted to be invited back to see a new piece in the creative spare. Arriving to the Young Vic, I was really caught off guard by the catchy lime green and yellow posters in which Cherelle Skeete (who plays the titular role) poses fronting a traditional Nigerian clothes and a pair of Doc Martens. Little did I know, this was the same actress I saw in The Fellowship and in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, so I knew already that this was going to be an electrifying piece given the sheer talent that was about to grace the stage. And boy, does she not miss a beat.
Let’s get this out of the way: I was unfamiliar with the story of Afrofuturist Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun. This play is somewhat of a response to it, given the name borrows from the character of Beneatha. A production a decade in the making, Kwei-Armah effortlessly reflects the change in public discourse (‘Black Twitter’ is mentioned a few too many times) but also how we as a society of offline vs online people view culture wars in the 2020s; this is a damning indictment, given that some of the racism prevalent nowadays is similar to that experienced by the titular character in the late 1950s.
The dialogue that the Kwame-Arpah writes inject humour and also roll off the actor’s tongues; furthermore, the direction mostly allows the actors to make believable choices, and relay the real-life discussions in a meaningful and well-balance manner. The message of the struggles of being a Race Studies lecturer is put very much centre-stage with audiences audibly gasping at what some of the colleagues espouse; it also draw out what it means to an immigrant . There’s lots of empathy, when there’s bigotry (such as showing Beneatha how to turn on the lights and fan in the living room) providing a focus on the themes throughout. The cast of five in this make it so effortlessly, and the action unfolding make it gripping and had me on the edge of my seat.
What’s been quite pertinent in this discussion not only in Beneatha’s Place,
but is key to understand this piece in all its entirety is how in a post-BLM world the the recent news of the US Supreme Court ruling against affirmative action showcases why this is such a timely and incredibly important piece. Further, there are roles in DEI/Senior Management levels across both sides of the Atlantic that are being cut (not just in the US, but also in the UK); the central crux of this story is in the second act where the “culture wars” issue is tackled head on as Kwei-Armah locks horns in all its characters.
All in all, Beneatha’s Place is an accomplished piece, as the nuance portaryed (in particular the stronger second act) provides these characters allows gives voice to the supposedly unheard: on the one hand, we’ve Mr ‘Free Speech’ activist, but also to the fact that in this modern world there’s certainly structures that prevent minorities from flourishing. There’s Beneatha’s role as being in the highest role of an educational Institue as a Dean, but there’s an interesting twist which was refreshing. This piece will make you laugh in all the right places, and the satire – as the kids say – was satirising. It will be when you least expect it that a character utters something so repulsive or ghastly, that you’ll be jaw wide open, but it lands immensely with intense comedy and wit. A sharp piece, only to be improved given a separate Director be given the reins to take the writer’s fully-fleshed vision.
Zackary Momoh and Cherrelle Skeete in Beneatha’s Place.
Photo credit: Johan Persson.
Catch this at the Young Vic (nearest tube: Waterloo or Southwark) until 5 August 2023: https://www.youngvic.org/whats-on/beneathas-place
** Gifted / PR invite – this review was provided, in exchange for a gratis complimentary ticket and an honest, unbiased review **