Talawa Firsts on Tour

11th May – 15th June 2024

Double Bill: Love in Gravitational Waves / Bougie Lanre’s Boulangerie

“Me lickle but me Talawa”, Talawa meaning gutsy and strong (Jamaican patois).

Talawa Theatre Company was founded in 1986 by Yvonne Brewster, Carmen Munroe, Mona Hammond OBE and Ingo Espejel. The formation was “in response to the lack of creative opportunities for Black actors and the marginalisation of Black peoples from cultural processes”.

Tonight’s performances were a double bill at Fairfield Halls, Croydon, where Talawa hold a residency. Their home turf in Croydon marks the end of their UK tour and was the first time that Talawa have taken their performances to key cities outside of London.

Talawa describe their two pieces as “using off-beat humour to tackle themes of extraction, temporality in people and places, (be)longing and the perils of late-stage capitalism.”

The first of our two-parter was a one-man show, written and performed by Kareem Parkins-Brown, directed by Philip J Morris and produced by Samantha Nurse. Bougie Lanre’s Boulangerie is divided into a series of chapters, recounting Parkins-Brown’s experiences of working in the hospitality industry. Parkins-Brown welcomes the audience, with some mild mickey taking. An effective soundtrack accompanies the introduction – generic muzak with the chatter of restaurant customers and waiters checking on the quality of the food.

We are taken through a surreal performance including a burping fridge and Parkins-Brown acting out love-making to a metal table. We learn of certain characters from his past – Uncle Ahmed (Aaaaaaaaccccccchmed, to be pronounced with guttural force), the rude customer who leaves her coat at the restaurant then takes every chance to assert her place in society when she returns to collect it, and a chef, high on magic mushrooms. 

“Parkins-Brown certainly has the talent to produce first-class material”

The highlights of the show were Parkins-Brown’s poetry readings. He is an original writer, and I would have liked the show to comprise simply of these as they were very, very good. More of this, please, and less ad-libbing. Parkins-Brown certainly has the talent to produce first-class material. The performance did become repetitive and could have been reduced to a shorter, higher quality act.

The second half of the evening gave place to Love in Gravitational Waves, written by Testament and directed by Brigitte Adela. After a breakup, Bronwyn (Kamilah Shorey) delves into the world of dating apps. A ‘Mean Girl’ by admission, Bronwyn is an arrogant, snobby political researcher from London and makes fun of her dates. Bored of the types of men she has previously been in relationships with, she sets out to find a match with someone with opposing opinions and tastes. Ismail (Anyabe Godwin), a Yorkshireman, a Muslim in recovery from drug addiction who goes to church, provides her with this opportunity. The relationship that develops provides the storyline, but is broken up with connecting characters including an African man who enjoys duetting online to meet women, although he is not having much luck. Played brilliantly by Godwin, he switches seamlessly between accents and personalities, and provides some laugh-out loud moments. 

“Played brilliantly by Godwin, he switches seamlessly between accents and personalities, and provides some laugh-out loud moments” 

A story of our times, with a futuristic, minimal set and good twist at the end was enjoyable, but this too could have been reduced in length. There was not enough depth or action to ensure an effective 90 minutes.

With a few tweaks, these two productions could make very enjoyable watching.

Rhea Shepherd