Sally Bavage and Mary Francis write:
Saturday afternoon saw a huge
audience hear Benjamin Zephaniah (author of the book Refugee Boy) and Lemn
Sissay (adaptor of the work for the stage) in conversation - and what a joyful
occasion it was! A fascinating session in which both writers were thoughtful,
informative and funny.
Eight years after Zephaniah
first received requests for a stage adaptation of his book, he had agreed and,
because he knew Sissay, had then left it all to him. On Saturday last he had
not at that time even seen the play, though was to do so later.
We learned a great deal more
about the two men as they talked and responded to a host of questions,
including some things quite surprising - to me, at least. One such snippet was
that when poet Benjamin Zephaniah was about to attempt his first novel he asked
for advice on how to begin from a friend of his, the very successful writer of
historical novels, Philippa Gregory - and her advice was spot-on!
.. and so to the play
itself.
Powerful. Thought-provoking. An emotional journey. All well-tried phrases but nevertheless
very apt descriptions of a must-see new performance in the Courtyard
theatre. Above the display of art
in the Courtyard foyer is the phrase: “A story about arriving, belonging and
finding home.” This adaptation
explores this theme through the eyes of Alem, the Refugee Boy, whose arrival
and wait for family to claim him takes us all on a journey.
The sense of displacement
starts with the ingenious set of many piled suitcases and there are many
narrative metaphors for the changes in Alem, his new friends and his families
whose lives subtly intertwine. Politics determines his journey from Africa to
England and his moves round the south.
What is the meaning of ‘home’ when yours is destroyed, moved, changed?
Your cultural references change?
Your food and language adapt?
You will ponder as you leave the theatre to go home – wherever that is.
The play runs until 30 March.
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