By Cal
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVuCKaetRss
Available until: Saturday 28th
November 7pm. You’ll need to start watching it before 5.30pm.
Content warning: 12+. The play contains flashing
lights, adult themes and strong language, some of which is racially offensive.
Post-Show
Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhIFndYCMG4
It’s difficult to put into words how
good this is. It’s an incredible play. A really important play. A play which I
really wish was available for more than 24 hours.
Death of England:
Delroy was filmed at the National Theatre on
its opening night. It was also filmed on its closing night. Lockdown only
allowed the theatre one opportunity to share it with the world – until now
(though I really hope there will be more performances in the future).
It was written by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams, who introduce the first and last performance. You could say it’s a story about a man who is racing to get to the bedside of his girlfriend, who is giving birth to his child, and something terrible happens on the way. It’s true – that is what happens.
But it’s about so much more than that.
It’s about the reasons behind the terrible things that happen to him. Delroy is
a black working class man. He’s a lot of other things too, but some people just
see the colour of his skin and they decide what he is and what he isn’t.
There is a lot to think about here –
and it’s difficult to think about. The reaction of the socially-distanced
audience says a lot. There was humour in this piece, but the audience rarely
laughed. I didn’t either. I was too busy trying to take everything in. Not
wanting to miss a single word.
‘The Angry Black Man’ is a bit of a
cliché. It’s unfair. Of course black men get angry sometimes. But they’re not
angry because they’re black. They’re angry because they have a reason to be
angry. I can’t imagine what it’s like. I shouldn’t even try. But when you know
people have negative expectations of you and they push you to an extent that
would make anyone react negatively and then think they’ve proved themselves
right… how is that fair?
Michael Balogun stars in the role of
Delroy. He was originally the understudy, but he was given his chance after the
actor he was covering became ill. Delroy is onstage throughout, alone. He
speaks the words of the people he comes into contact with, using props to
represent them. He alters his voice to sound like the other characters and uses
other devices, such as looking up as people who are taller than him, then
looking down when he takes their role and speaks to himself.
The set is in the shape of a cross and Michael walks back and forth. Props appear as though by magic – Michael’s performance holds your attention so fully, anything that goes on around him is unnoticeable until he draws our attention to it.
It’s a compelling, brave and
brilliantly-acted piece of theatre.
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