Review: AN OCTOROON, National Theatre

Ned Bennett's production is a gruelling watch, and has contained within it many moments that shock, enlighten, provoke and surprise. Despite its transfer to the National Theatre, the production is still, as Ken Nwosu states to the audience, "surrounded by white people."

And it's in his opening monologue where Nwosu, playing playwright Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' alter ego BJJ, tells us everything we need to know. Racism is embedded into our theatrical history, and art has engaged with blackness and identity for a significant period of time.

Amongst all of the playwrights to discuss this, Jacobs-Jenkins is one of the most direct and well-expressed. His dissection of culture demands attention and he deliberately challenges expectations of meaning surrounding race. In one way his approach is fantastical, but it's this strategy that pierces straight to the core of the realism of violence and oppression towards people of colour.

In An Octoroon he does this by taking a melodrama and framing it in a meta-stylised way. The story follows that of a young girl, Zoe (Iola Evans), who transitions from a free woman to a slave after an error in admin happening somewhere down the line. She is one-eight black, hence the name "Octoroon".

Throughout, Nwosu beautifully multi-roles between the playwright and slaveowners George and M'Closky. There are moments when he literally jumps from one end of the stage to the other to perform moments of interaction between the pair of plantation holders.

As Minnie and Dido, Vivian Oparah and Emmanuella Cole share a delicious chemistry on stage. Their scenes are some of the funniest and warmest moments of the entire play, and through them Jacobs-Jenkins taps into the everyday experience, whilst also dissects the common exploitation of black bodies that we see in contemporary media.

Some of the most joyous moments come from the stylistic movement, created by Ivan Blackstock. Working with sound designer George Dennis, not only do the sequences evoke a lot of laughter from the audience, but it also complements the metatheatrical frame that the piece wishes to create.

Elliot Griggs' lighting design is at a sensational level. He utilises everything from the houselights to fireworks and fire; his approach is unapologetically immediate, visceral and explosive. Within this, there's numerous blackouts, and when the lights go back on there's a fair few revelations in store for the audience.

However, aside from the actual 150-minute production, there is a bigger question to ask, and that's one of engagement. It's an enquiry into who the desired audience of the production is. Those who are invited to a press night set the tone for the run, and we need to start thinking about the people that we wish to bring into the room, and subsequently the conversation.

This particular production is already sold out, but do try to catch those Friday rush tickets. Participate in the discussion and debate, and form your own unique opinion, because right now the dialogue is clogged with predominantly one type of voice.

An Octoroon at the National Theatre until 18 July

Photo credit: Helen Murray

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