Universal stories: The Tricycle Theatre Young Company in The Kilburn Passion.
Play: The Kilburn Passion
Theatre: Tricycle Theatre
Playwright: Suhayla El–Bushra
Director: Emily Lim
Review by Irenosen Okojie.
The Kilburn Passion, part of the recent Tricycle Theatre’s Takeover Festival by the Tricycle Young Company of 19 to 25 year olds, is an updated version of the medieval passions which explored themes around Jesus’ crucifixion.
This very contemporary version is a sprawling vision, depicting the fractured narratives of a group of young people, whose lives intersect in sly and surprising turns, touching on themes of loneliness, sexuality, racism, parenthood and existentiality.
Set on Kilburn High Street, the show’s opening sets the tone of the whole play by being dark, funny and surprising. One by one, the characters slowly emerge from the corners of a dimly lit stage to face a man in a yellow t-shirt, seemingly about to leap from a building. Emotional tension builds and, accompanied by thumping beats, there is an unexpected, and amusing, group dance sequence. Far from being a linear tale, the audience is dropped right into the muddy centre of the action.
Part of the beauty of this clever and tightly written piece is its assorted characters. Two warring sisters, who’ve inherited their mother’s hair salon, navigate a fraught relationship, simmering with sibling resentment; parents at a crossroad wrestle with the burden of responsibility; a socially awkward man contemplates his attempts to connect with women; an outsider confronts loneliness in an unforgiving urban landscape while a flamboyant gay clothing store assistant celebrates his sexuality.
The various settings, from a salon and a clothing shop to a bus and a food truck, supply a familiar high street backdrop, highlighting the emptiness of the daily grind of work and life. Both inventive and experimental theatre, in one scene most of the cast act as a character’s conscience while in another, each cast member becomes the narrator.
Suhayla El – Bushra’s original play is frenetic, vivid, slick and unbridled. Peppered by an eclectic soundtrack, the stories feel nuanced and real. Despite presenting many characters, the play teases out their complexity. Director Emily Lim plays her part well. She has a firm hold on the performances, which are pitch perfect, especially Jade – Marie Joseph, in top form as a haughty, Beyonce and Oprah-loving clothing store manager.
The Kilburn Passion strikes a fine balance between humour and the underlying social issues people face when living in an urban city. Laughs come thick and fast but there is an ominous sense of lives teetering on the edge, about to unravel.
One character becomes increasingly jarred by his childhood self following him around. Another, a Christ like figure, can hear people’s thoughts, absorb their pain, offers advice and doles out oranges. His life regularly intersects with that of the other characters. He unsettles them by providing moments of clarity and sacrifices himself in a crucial scene where all the storylines collide.
At the heart of the play is the idea of human connection and how essential it is for us to feel like a community. The story isn’t just about people in Kilburn; it’s a universal experience of the importance of belonging that could be set in any area or city.
The Kilburn Passion is joyous and transformative theatre at its best.
The Kilburn Passion was part of the Tricycle Theatre Festival which ran from Sunday 30 March to Saturday 5 April 2014.
To find out more about the Tricycle Takeover Festival visit the website.