MOON ON A RAINBOW SHAWL To 12 April.
Nottingham/Tour
MOON ON A RAINBOW SHAWL: Errol John
Nottingham Playhouse:
7.45pm
Tkts 0115 941 9419
Runs: 2h 15m: one interval: till 22nd Feb then touring to 12 April 2003
Review: Jen Mitchell: Nottingham: 11th Feb 2003
The laid-back rhythms of the Caribbean juxtaposed with the harsh realities of poverty and petty crime.
Set in a slum owned by a wealthy landlord, four dwellings are occupied by characters whose daily lives are lived in such proximity that any kind of privacy appears to be impossible. As we view the stage we see three apartments whose doors we never see beyond, and yet whose characters live their lives entirely in the open. The fourth apartment is open to all and yet this belongs to Ephraim, the most secretive and dissatisfied character. The apartments are built around the yard where, in the stifling heat, most of the action occurs.
The young student Esther, whose brightness and ebullience fills the yard, and the stage, has been offered a scholarship to high school. This success brings pride along with anxiety and pressure as her parents worry about how to provide her with a school uniform. It is this pressure that brings her father, the once successful cricketer Charlie, to resort to desperate measures.
The plot is a beautifully woven web of lives and emotions. Warmth and humour shine through, particularly in the character of Sophia, a mother figure within the microcosm of life that is the yard. Despair takes the second half surging forward, as we discover the extent of Ephraim's determination to escape his surroundings. We can see the irony in his belief that he will find a better life in Liverpool. He eventually gives vent to his hidden frustration and fury in a superbly acted scene. Not even his girlfriend's pregnancy can prevent him from leaving.
We feel almost voyeuristic as we look into an episode in the lives of these characters, where nothing is resolved.
Written in the mid-50s, the play is a commentary upon the lives of the residents of Port-of-Spain and was the first play written by a Caribbean playwright in the native Creole of Trinidad. Errol John's classic is a superbly constructed piece of writing. The play timeless and could easily be set anywhere people struggle through the daily grind of poverty.
Clear direction enables the talent of the actors to bring each character to life and whilst we have some stereotypes in the characters of the policeman and Prince, the long-suffering boyfriend of the yards prostitute, the actors show us utterly believable people and situations. The naivety of Inika Leigh Wright's Rosa is almost heart breaking to watch, whilst Dystin Johnson as Sophia leaves us in awe of her sheer tenacity, in her life and the love of her husband Charlie and children.
Ephraim: Victor Romero Evans
Ketch: Jon Clairmonte
Esther: Davinia Anderson
Mavis: Tracey Saunders
Sailor: George Dalton
Sophia: Dystin Johnson
Old Mack: Ram John Holder
Rosa: Inika Leigh Wright
Policeman: Alexis Rodney
Prince: Johann Myers
Charlie: Jim Findley
Soldier: George Dalton
Cricket Bat Boy: Alexis Rodney
Taxi Driver: Jon Clairmonte
Director: Paulette Randall
Designer: Ellen Cairns
Lighting Designer: Matthew Eagland
Composer/Musical Director: Delroy Murray
2003-02-13 19:42:40