Review: HOUSE OF IFE, Bush Theatre

Families are complex and the relationships between parents and children and siblings themselves is a rich basis for drama. Beru Tessema's new play House of Ife is a tense and fascinating insight into the dynamics of a British-Ethiopean family, living in London, and navigating life and personal grief in the wake of the sudden death of the eldest son, Ife.

Ife is dead; his twin Aida feels haunted, middle sister Tsion is trying to hold the family together and baby brother Yosi is preoccupied with his friends and computer games. Their mother, Meron, wants her children to respect the traditions of their community. When absent father Soloman arrives from Ethiopia, old wounds are opened and family secrets revealed in a dramatic clash of cultures.

This cast of five has a brilliant chemistry. As Aida, Karla-Simone Spence is visibly disturbed by her brother's absence and her use of drink and drugs to block her grief and sadness is persuasive. Yohanna Ephrem is the quiet and sensible middle daughter Tsion; training to be a teacher, she feels her duty to her mother through her father's absense and the need to support her siblings keenly. Michael Workeye is a slouching and seemingly directionless Yosi. Workeye is not only very funny in the role, but nimbly shows flashes of real pain and frustration at the chaos of his brother's demise and father's cruel actions to deal with it.

As Meron, Sarah Priddy is desperate with grief, but shows a quiet dignity with her situation. Her interactions with Jude Akuwudike's flawed Soloman are sincere and very plausible. Akuwudike himself reveals the contradictions within Soloman; he believes his son's fate was inevitable and his own behaviour had no effect on him. All his actions are justified as he is doing 'God's work', even though he appears to have abandoned his wife and children for a new life, with a new young wife and four more children.

Ethiopian-British writer Tessema was commissioned to write this play for the Bush and gives great humanity and realism to all the characters. They are a family who is authentic in their beliefs and actions and therefore feel completely believable. There is richness and depth to Aida, Yosi and Soloman's characters, but Meron and Tsion feel a little underwritten.

Tessema captures the unique intimacy and cruelty of conversations and actions between siblings. There are loud arguments, joyful dancing and shared moments of silent unity. Yosi digs at Aida for not being able to speak at the funeral in a way only a brother can get away with.

There are also subtle, but deftly written examples of cultural clashes between the parents and children. The siblings swear and mainly speak in London slang, which often frustrates their parents. A particularly funny moment occurs in a café over Tosi's use of the name Karen. Tessema uses the whole play to gradually reveal the many aspects to Ife's life and personality; the wasted life of a drug addict becomes richer and more understandable.

Directed by the Bush's Artistic Director, Lynette Linton, there is good change of pace within the production, moving from frenetic and loud sibling arguments to moments of quiet reflection. Frankie Bradshaw's set is based on the family's living room, with tiny sofa and PVC windows that do not open wide, even though the flat is on the ground floor. Special mention must also go to Florence Lee's evocative and melancholy portrait of Ife, which is small, but appears throughout.

House of Ife is a captivating and intense play that feels very current, but also neatly captures the many themes of family, loyalty and belonging that are everlasting.

House of Ife is at the Bush Theatre until 11 June

Photo Credit: Marc Brenner

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