★★★

“Adrian Decosta plays a stellar Martin Luther King”

The Life and Death of Martin Luther King by Paul Stebbings feels like an epic play forced into an intimate space. As the title suggests, it follows Martin Luther King’s life, from his first speech to lead and inspire the civil rights movement in Alabama. Overall, the play succeeds in telling King’s story – as much as can be covered in 90 minutes – but it suffers from the confines of its space and consequently questionable directing choices.

The play opens in silence with singular actor Toara Bankole entering the stage to sing. This was the start of a pattern of blocking which did not consider the full thrust staging. Throughout the show, I was purely witnessing the back of actors and had barely any moments to indulge in their faces and emotions. Two thirds of the audience were isolated from the action, in spite of being so close to the actual stage. The Golden Goose is very intimate and manages to hold a lot of the sound in the space. As a result it felt like the performers were shouting. Naturally, the play’s content gives way to the kind of vocal projection fit for outdoor crowds of hundreds. But even the scenes where this wasn’t the case, it felt like the actors were told to over project and this generally made the viewing experience uncomfortable. There was also one moment in the play where real metal chains were used in a movement sequence. The chains were repeatedly thrown around and dropped on the floor. The highly irritating, loud noise of these chains made the room wince, removing any awe inspiring effect intended.

From what I could see, the acting performances were pretty solid. Toara Bankole carries the show throughout. Formally only credited as Coretta King and Rosa Parks, she actually multi roles as an incredible number of characters – and she has at least six different dresses and costume changes to show for it. Her performances are subtle and touching, letting the audience into the life of her characters safely – fitting the intimate setting. Adrian Decosta (also the director) plays a stellar Martin Luther King, down to his voice emulating King accurately. It’s very hard to direct a play you’re also in, let alone starring in where you’re practically in every scene. The reason being, you don’t know how you actually look or sound on stage and can lack objectivity.

One of the biggest themes is of course race and racism. This can be a tricky subject but can – and should – be talked about well in theatre, when done with care. To portray the racist attitudes of people at the time, with a majority black cast, the actors wore white masks to portray white people. I thought this was clever, and an easy way for the cast to multi-role without difficulty. However, there were points when the one white actor in the cast wore a black mask to portray a black person. Simply due to the connotations, this did make me feel uncomfortable. There are a lot of openly racist actions and language used throughout the performance, which do portray the horrible reality of the time and so will of course feel uneasy and won’t be an enjoyable watch. However, I think some use of racist language from certain actors was used for shock value and didn’t necessarily contribute to the story.

To conclude, I think the play serves as a great educational piece, and an introduction to Martin Luther King for those who may not know of his legacy. However, it suffers from being an epic play in an intimate space – with potential to be greater on a larger, end-on stage.

THE CREAKERS

Queen Elizabeth Hall

★★★★

“Gather up your kids and have a good time at The Creakers!”

The Creakers is a musical version of Tom Fletcher’s much loved children’s book of the same name. It’s about a group of kids who have to rescue their parents from a sinister world lurking below their beds. It’s a refreshing change from all the overly familiar panto fare on offer on London stages at the moment. As musical adaptations go, however, The Creakers fails to capture the magic of its original material. That’s not because it isn’t a talented production at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London’s South Bank. But this version is a cautionary tale in how difficult it can be to adapt a brilliant story in book form, for the stage.

Set in Whiffington, a town with a waste disposal problem as its name suggests, The Creakers tells us about Lucy, a girl who is “different” though we are never told exactly how. Her single Dad is also the town’s rubbish collector, which adds to her problem of social acceptability. Most of the first act of the musical is about establishing the characters in the story, with frequent references to the social pecking order. There’s also a scandal brewing about the rubbish. The Mayor of Whiffington has decided to get rid of the overflowing rubbish by dumping it in the ocean. This is the inciting incident that sets the main story of The Creakers in motion. It turns out that a bunch of mysterious creatures called the Creakers depend on that rubbish for their food, building supplies, and even for their creativity. At night the Creakers emerge from under children’s beds, and feast on the mess and debris that kids (and their parents) have left lying around. Deprived of their sustenance, the Creakers take revenge by kidnapping the parents of Whiffington. Lucy and the kids have to figure out how to get them back.

It’s a good story, and it plays on childhood fears that everyone, child and adult alike, can identify with. The sustainability theme in the accumulating rubbish is a bit trickier, but from a staging perspective, it gives an imaginative set designer and costume designer lots to work with. Andrew Exeter and Ryan Dawson Laight take full advantage. But the rubbish is also a distraction from the main action. That’s Lucy’s goal of extracting the parents from the underground world of Woleb. (Yes, I figured it out.) And it takes the whole of the first act of The Creakers to get to the point where we finally meet these wonderful creatures, and the show takes off.

Despite the slow moving first act, and energetic songs that don’t always advance the action, The Creakers will succeed in winning you over by the end. The performers give their all to the many different roles they are called on to play, and that includes manipulating the puppet Creakers (designed by Lyndie Wright who knows everything there is to know about puppets.) Tom Jackson Greaves manages both the direction and choreography with flair in a space that is really a concert hall, and not a theatre. The small band produces a big sound with the superior acoustics of the QEH, and it was a treat to actually see them in the second act. Lucy (Eloise Davies) and her friends Ella (Iona Fraser) and Norman (Ally Kennard) are the main movers and shakers in the show but there’s a wealth of talent to see in minor roles all undertaken by a seamless ensemble.

If you’re wondering whether you can risk taking your child to a show that deals in accumulating rubbish and monsters lurking under the bed, have no fear. There’s a guaranteed happy ending. And no one will be surprised to discover that the Creakers are, in fact, the Save the Planet warriors we have been waiting for. As one satisfied customer remarked “I won’t have a nightmare tonight—I’ll have a funmare!” So ignore all the dramaturgical quibbling above. Gather up your kids and have a good time at The Creakers!

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MARTIN LUTHER KING

Golden Goose Theatre

★★★

“Adrian Decosta plays a stellar Martin Luther King”

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MARTIN LUTHER KING

Golden Goose Theatre

Reviewed on 3rd January 2025

by David Robinson

Photography by Katja Piolka

Previously reviewed at this venue:

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MARTIN LUTHER KING

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MARTIN LUTHER KING

THE LIFE AND DEATH OF MARTIN LUTHER KING

THE CREAKERS

Queen Elizabeth Hall

★★★★

“Gather up your kids and have a good time at The Creakers!”

THE CREAKERS

Queen Elizabeth Hall

Reviewed on 27th December 2024

by Dominica Plummer

Photography by Pamela Raith

Recently reviewed at Southbank venues:

THE CREAKERS

THE CREAKERS

THE CREAKERS