Home / Arts and Entertainment / Leeds Playhouse Stages Powerful 'Small Island' Adaptation
Leeds Playhouse Stages Powerful 'Small Island' Adaptation
20 Mar
Summary
- The play adaptation captures enduring racism and societal challenges.
- It powerfully reflects on the Caribbean immigrant experience in Britain.
- Stellar performances by Anna Crichlow and Bronté Barbé shine.
Leeds Playhouse is currently staging Matthew Xia's production of Helen Edmundson's adaptation of Andrea Levy's novel, 'Small Island.' The play, originally from over two decades ago, begins its narrative over a century prior. Xia's direction allows the piece to exist authentically within its period, transporting audiences between the two World Wars and up to 1948, the year the HMT Empire Windrush docked in Britain.
The narrative follows Gilbert, a Jamaican who served in the British war effort, and his life in Britain. He shares lodgings with Queenie, one of the few landlords willing to rent to Caribbean immigrants. The story further intertwines with Gilbert's wife, Hortense, and their lives become deeply connected when Queenie has a child.
The adaptation powerfully echoes contemporary issues, addressing fear of foreigners, distrust of strangers, and casual racism. Daniel Ward delivers a compelling performance as Gilbert, questioning societal superiority. Despite the depressingly familiar racist attitudes, the play offers a note of optimism, highlighting the promise of new life amidst hardship. Anna Crichlow as Hortense and Bronté Barbé as Queenie deliver particularly magnetic performances, underscoring the play's significance as a contemporary historical piece.
