...blackbird hour

evlyne oyedokun as eshe. Photo: www.sierz.co.uk

Despite watching ...blackbird hour at 3pm on a Wednesday afternoon, a telling midnight scene awaited me in the studio of the Bush Theatre. I recognise this room from the tougher periods of various friends' lives, but I am further intrigued by the voiceover and the energy of the woman rocking back and forth on the bed centre-stage. You know that you care about this woman, but you eagerly wait to find out why. For me, this play is about the need for action over words, especially in times of crisis.

There was a wonderful harmony between the three characters in this show as a result of the chemistry between Evlyne Oyedokun, Olivia Nakintu and Ivan Oyik, despite the characters' interpersonal issues. I felt that each balanced out another and explored various sides to the themes and issues that the show was highlighting. I felt that anyone would find it easy to relate to one of the characters, which would increase the emotional pull that already existing by the nature of the play's subject. I felt that these characters' backstories were elegantly and subtly suggested to the audience so that we felt that we knew the characters fully. The playful voiceover of Eshe's mum that seemed to haunt her throughout the play painted a clear picture of their relationship and skilfully pulled you in to feel the pain that Eshe feels when she cries out for her mum.

Despite the realism of this piece, babirye bukilwa's writing is poetic, with good rhythm. What really struck me was the juxtaposition between the compelling writing and the clear need for action that would help Eshe. I felt this particularly in moments where Olivia Nakintu, portraying Ella, would call into the room from offstage, speaking about respecting boundaries. The rather vacuous nature of these buzzwords in a crisis was emphasised by her not being onstage, and the audience being able to see the state that Eshe was existing in. The touching efforts of Michael, Eshe's long-term friend, to engage with Black writers such as bell hooks in order to connect with his friend, combined with their more tactile connection, really showed the strength of their friendship.

I did feel that at some moments the tempo could have been tweaked to more accurately mimic what those moments would be like in real life, but perhaps the anxiety I felt for Ella and Michael to act quicker was the right emotion to feel. I also felt that the switch from realism to stylised acting could have been balanced out better through the play, as I felt as though I was missing something at the end of the play, or at least that there was definitely more to see from this story. However, any opinion about the execution of this piece cannot outweigh the fact that it is important that this story is told on stage, and that in doing so, audiences are inspired to take quicker action for those around them who may be struggling.