Review: BLACK MEN WALKING, Royal Court

Each first Saturday of every month, Thomas, Richard and Matthew walk. Out in the Peaks they travel up steep hills, over slippery rocks and through grassy terrain to escape the stresses of non-rural life. Never missing a trip (except for the occasional Star Trek convention), the three of them discuss personal politics and the struggles of the past, as they move up and down the scenic path.

However, when adverse weather conditions hit mid-route, they quickly realise that this is one walk that they probably shouldn't have gone on. That being said, it's the path that desperately needs to be walked, and it's one that will result in their perceptions of themselves and their fellow human being altered for the rest of their lives. The trio discover how far they have to journey backwards, before they could ever move forwards.

The text, written by Testament, honours the generations of the past; explaining how the experiences of those before us provide a foundation to our current state of being. The play does well to hold a conversation between all characters, allowing a debate to be held, where different generational viewpoints are put across with clarity and equal validity.

Instead of ramming a political message down the audience's throat, the script allows it to just be said - putting the ownership of action onto the audience. But the play seems to relax too much into this state of 'letting it just be', and throughout the majority of it, the weight behind the words is lost. It's not a provocation, nor is it much of a challenge; and for this reason the impact on the whole is slim.

The performances do engage and it's lovely to watch such enthusiasm come from the actors. The three men provide many highlights, and even though Dorcas Sebuyange takes a while to warm into her character, once she's there the entire quartet work together to keep it high in energy.

Each person has their own unique way of walking, which gives them their sense of individual story. It acts as a reminder that everyone has something to offer, and it's possible to learn something new by each person that you encounter. This is what happens here; we can be everybody's teacher, as long as we are at the same time willing to be a student.

Ultimately where the play struggles is in its choral moments. The group don't ever fully seem to sync into one and the power behind the songs lose the majority of their might.

Upon first comment it could be said that xenophobia is a theme of this play, but that's incorrect. The meaning behind that word is a 'fear of outsiders'. These men are not outsiders; they are in fact the people who walked England before the English, and even though they are written into the landscape, too often they are hardly seen.

Black Men Walking until 7 April

Photo credit: Tristram Kenton

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