DREAMSCAPE
Omnibus Theatre
★★★★
“Moving, weighty, yet full of love”
Long before George Floyd and Black Lives Matter, there was Tyisha Miller – a 19 year old African American woman shot dead by police while unconscious in a car. Following an award-winning Edinburgh Fringe debut and off-Broadway run, Rickerby Hinds’ ‘Dreamscape’ premieres in London, capturing Miller’s story with devastating honesty.
Christmas 1998. Myeisha and her cousin get a flat tire – no big deal. Her cousin goes for help, and Myeisha stays with the car, a gun on her lap for protection. Through poetry, rap, beatbox and dance, we learn what happens next, piecing together a hopeful young life while tracing the twelve bullets which ultimately end it.
Written and directed by Professor of Playwriting, Rickerby Hinds, the script treads a frank but firmly grounded line, opening a deeply human window into African American experience. The piece is smartly structured, opening and closing with the events of that day, while the central narrative fights the constraints of the autopsy report. As the Coroner coolly maps each bullet wound, Myeisha’s vivacious personality bursts through in lively West Coast vernacular, peppered with jokes (‘Manchester’ is a gem), rhymes, rapping and dancing which bring her hopes, dreams and fears to life. It’s a richly layered, utterly human portrait that makes her violent death all the more shocking.
Hinds’ assured direction deftly marries poetry, rap, beatbox and dance into a seamless whole. The hip hop and rap influences land with real polish, and slick beatboxing brings 90s radio to life. The sparing use of Christmas music, cleverly reprised in the finale, bristles with lost innocence. Carrie Mykuls’ ever present choreography is a standout – carefree at first, then edged with fear, before giving way to beatbox driven transitions and haunting sequences where Myeisha’s body floats like an impersonal schematic. The result is a beautifully flowing hip hop ballet that feels meticulously constructed.
That said, the piece could use a little more oomph in places. You feel the surge in pace toward the climax, but the overall build could be greater. Each section contains cleverly contrasting energies, but some sections could do with clearer distinction from each other. The beatbox transitions are slick, but a slight tightening in the second half would gather more momentum. Still, the whole thing is impressively crafted and holds together with clear intention.
Tonight’s cast pairs Jada Evelyn Ramsey as Myeisha with Josiah Alpher as the Coroner and others; Natali Micciche and John ‘Faahz’ Merchant are set to take over later in the run. Ramsey and Alpher are a sharp duo, bouncing effortlessly off each other in dialogue and music. Alpher seamlessly switches between crisp beatboxing and ominous detachment. Ramsey fills the space with naïve, sassy vitality – a performance so human it deepens the tragedy at the play’s core. Ramsey is also a triple threat with precise rapping and snappy hip hop moves.
The design is simple but strong. The eerie openness of the minimal set – just two chairs and a microphone – lets your imagination fill in the blanks. Costumes are simple but effective: Alpher in all black slips in and out of a doctor’s coat, and Ramsey’s casual textures convey personality and era. The lighting is especially striking, separating Myeisha from the shapeshifting man – his world is cool and clinical, hers warm and vibrant. The only wobble is the sound mix: the head mic muffles at high volume while the handheld mic booms. Even so, the rapping and beatboxing cut through well on the whole.
‘Dreamscape’ is a vital piece of theatre confronting a grim, all too frequent reality. Moving, weighty, yet full of love, to see it is to remember Tyisha and our shared humanity.
DREAMSCAPE
Omnibus Theatre
Reviewed on 12th February 2026
by Hannah Bothelton
Photography by Ikin Yum
