Review: Leave Taking at Bush Theatre

© Helen Murray

With all the hype concerning Natasha Gordon’s recent debut at the Dorfman, it felt especially pertinent to view this rediscovered jewel from award-winning Winsome Pinnock. Pinnock was the first black woman to have a play produced at the National Theatre way back in 1994, and the same play returns for a fifth time with spirited direction from Madani Younis.

Enid (Sarah Niles) is a hard-working mum trapped on a Deptford estate. A believer in black magic yet fervent churchgoer, she’s struggling with her reverence towards England caused by colonialist indoctrination, and muted disdain for her upbringing in poverty-stricken rural Jamaica. Pinnock cleverly uses arresting dialogue to reflect this inherent conflict in immigrant identity, gliding between patois and English and contested pronunciations of words such as ‘obeah’ and ‘water’.

Despite misgivings about her Jamaican roots, mother’s intuition causes Enid to seek obeah protection for her British-born daughters. Del (Seraphina Beh) is a rebel, sneaking off to late-night blues parties and, unlike Enid, refusing to cower to racist employers. Younger sister Viv (Nicholle Cherrie) is articulate with a flighty optimism and ambitions for a degree in ‘black studies’ (which causes Enid to scoff). Niles, as the mother, plays the stoical divorcee with real sincerity and tenderness, though sometimes it feels a bit safe – more gruffness from Enid might have given the daughters more with which to be at loggerheads.

Obeah woman Mai (Adjoa Andoh), with her charms, tinctures and African sculpture, forces the family to face repressed truths. Andoh offers a strong performance as the pain-ridden, stout-drinking mystic, although her wavering Jamaican accent is occasionally a little distracting.

Wil Johnson as Uncle Broderick provides life-injecting physicality and the rest of the cast delight in bouncing off him. A pernickety old boy who likes a drink, Enid’s long-time comrade playfully pokes fun with some cracking lines: ‘With them shoes I can see right through to you crack foot-bottom’. Importantly, Brod’s insightful anecdotes remind us of the serious damage caused when racial abuse is left unchecked and, more optimistically, that there is much to be celebrated in Jamaican/African heritage.

Rosanna Vize’s pared-down set is appropriately themed in black and yellow, evoking memories of 70s sound systems, beige Ford Cortinas and safari suits. Ed Clarke’s playlist, from the militant dub beats of reggae hit ‘Prophecy’ to the delightfully familiar folk song ‘Hill ’n’ Gully’, provides seamless continuity. Ominous water droplets from above were open to interpretation, suggesting rainy days in a London that failed to live up to expectations.

This touching heartfelt piece explores the daily cost of being displaced from your homeland. Migrants and their offspring are often wandering souls, looking for a place to truly belong and feel loved. There’s a real honesty in this play and it doesn’t need bells and whistles to get its powerful message across.

Cocoa's verdict: Definitely worth seeing if you're looking for something thought-provoking. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Leave Taking is on at the Bush Theatre from 24 May–30 June 2018

Running time: 2hrs 20mins (including interval)