SUS
Lion and Unicorn Theatre
Reviewed on Thursday 7th March 2013
"Written in 1979 and set on the night of Thatcher's election, Keeffe's play tells the story of Delroy, an unemployed father of three, being interrogated by two corrupt police officers. Delroy has spent the night drinking, and assumes he is being held under the Suspect Under Suspicion (SUS) laws. As the evening progresses, he realises that he is in fact, actually being accused of the murder of his pregnant wife."
It is fascinating how a political play written in 1979 can be so relevant today. SUS is a hard-hitting political drama which is not for everyone. During the opening section of the play I was unsure where it was heading. It is always important to have some light relief to ease an audience into a show but I felt some of the initial comical lines were a little desperate and forced.
Celestine Healy's set design is simple yet effective. However I found the staging frustrating. SUS is a text heavy play and becomes visually dull. I felt more could have been done to create some more movement as too many scenes were performed with the cast just sitting on chairs. I wanted more.
A stand out performance comes from Wole Sawyerr as Delroy. Wole makes us feel every inch of Delroy's tremendous pain and heartache. The detail in his performance was sublime, the emotion in his eyes was utterly captivating and something which can only be noticed and appreciated in intimate theatres, such as the Lion and Unicorn.
This intense play successfully makes a very strong political point. The projections at the end are powerful and remind us that although SUS was written by Barrie Keeffe in 1979, the play is just as relevant today. The press material states that in 2012 the Equalities and Human Rights Commission reported that the Metropolitan police are 11 times more likely to stop and search black people than white, and furthermore accused the Met of racial profiling. SUS leaves you with plenty to think about.
SUS runs at the Lion and Unicorn Theatre until Saturday 23rd March 2013.
Please visit www.giantolive.com for more information and to book tickets.
Reviewed by Andrew Tomlins (Editor)
No comments:
Post a Comment