Review: PLAYBOY OF THE WEST INDIES, Birmingham Rep

It's been over a century since John Millington Synge's Irish play The Playboy of the Western World was first performed, and almost 40 years since Mustapha Matura transported the story to Trinidad in the original version of Playboy of the West Indies. Sadly, Matura passed away in 2019 before he finished the musical adaptation of his work, but collaborators and co-directors Clement Ishmael, Nicolas Kent and Dominique Le Gendre continued the project and have now brought the spirit and humour of the Caribbean to a Birmingham stage.

As soon as you walk into the theatre, you are carried away to tropical shores, with Michael Taylor's intricate set perfectly evoking a ramshackle rum shop by the sea, surrounded by towering palm trees. It's in this rum shop that the entire story takes place, ignited by the arrival of Ken, a mysterious young man who demands to know whether the police visit the bar, then reveals that he has killed his father and is on the run. His tale entrances the locals, but is it actually true?

Durone Stokes is an intriguing and charming presence as Ken, and has a gentle chemistry with Gleanne Purcell-Brown's Peggy, who runs the rum shop along with her father. Reluctantly engaged to Stanley (a very funny Derek Elroy), she dreams of something beyond her current life and a loveless marriage, even if it's to a man who proudly owns three whole fishing boats. As she and Ken get to know each other, she realises he could be the answer to her prayers. Purcell-Brown's performance is likable and relatable, making Peggy the heart of the show. The rest of the cast are also excellent, with Angela Wynter standing out as the village matriarch, Mama Benin.

The story is admittedly slight, though, and doesn't seem like it justifies the runtime, which at two hours and 40 minutes (including interval) feels overlong. The songs tend to slow the pace too, often providing moments of emotional illumination but not advancing the plot.

Ishmael and Le Gendre's score is most successful when it embraces calypso influences and steel drum style beats, but it often slows into ballads which meander without really arriving at a destination. Even the more upbeat songs are pleasant but not memorable, and need stronger hooks. Unfortunately, Tony Gayle's sound design is not always a success, with vocals becoming muddy whenever more than one actor is singing, making it difficult to discern lyrics. Nevertheless, the small orchestra in the pit and the cast both give it their all, and Stokes' warm, rich tone is a particular joy to listen to.

There's certainly potential here, and it's a pleasure to see such a joyful representation of Trinidadian culture, and a celebration of the lyrical dialect (a glossary is provided in the program for those struggling to keep up!). The show provides romance, a touch of mystery, and a heavy dose of comedy (reaching almost farcical proportions near the end), but this light-hearted trip to the Caribbean needs better pacing and stronger songs to be a true success.

Playboy of the West Indies at Birmingham Rep until 2 July

Photo Credit: Geraint Lewis

 

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