Review Roundup: ...BLACKBIRD HOUR at the Bush Theatre

...blackbird hour is now playing at the Bush Theatre. Eshe hasn't left the flat.  Loved-ones keep reaching out: blowing up her phone and showing up at her front door. They say they're going to “save” her. She's not saying anything back. Until, in the dark early hours, surrounded by half-eaten food, dirty washing, and a damn good playlist, she focuses on the letter in front of her. 

 …blackbird hour is a visceral and moving exploration of a queer Black woman's call to arms for loving oneself when love has made itself scarce. Making its world premiere at the Bush Theatre, Babirye Bukilwa's profound insight into caring and belonging serves as a continuation of their critically acclaimed playwriting debut …cake (Theatre Peckham). See what the critics are saying...

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Anya Ryan, The Guardian:  At its best, this is a formally daring 90-minute play, which pours out like urgent poetry. But, under the direction of malakaï sargeant, it takes a while for the tension to take hold. On a screen on the stage’s back wall, words are projected and then dissolve like inconsequential matter. As Eshe, Oyedokun hauntingly slurs her speech, but some of its meaning is lost in the process. The result is a dizzying painting of isolation, aided by lots of intricate design elements by Khadija Raza. The overall visual effect is powerful, but the clarity isn’t always there.

Aliya Al-Hassan, London Theatre: …blackbird hour was a finalist for the Women’s Prize for Playwriting, the Bruntwood prize and the Alfred Fagon award, and it often feels like a fluid and graceful stream of poetic consciousness. However, at times, bukilwa’s writing is also a little clunky and expositional. There is no lightness or humour to contrast with the persistent darkness, and their focus on trauma and mental collapse makes this a visceral, yet difficult, watch.

Liam O'Dell: Whether this is the kind of mental health representation which bukilwa shuns as “inverted comma mental health inverted comma”, I don’t know, but the sheer impact this play had on myself (and others), and the potential for this to be even greater if one has the context of …cake should only be considered a sign of a powerful production, no matter the intention.

A Young(ish) Perspective, Temi Akande: Bukilwa’s is a brilliant playwright. Their words are completely full of wit, poetry, and laced with humour, making the heavier moments of the play even more impactful. The play’s comedic moments are well-executed, allowing for moments of relief amid the tension. And while the pacing in the final stretch momentarily wavers, the writing and direction ultimately pull it back, delivering a truly impressive and slightly emotional ending. 

Sam Waite, All That Dazzles: Funny in places, tragic in others, and deliberately unwilling to allow for an emotional catharsis, …blackbird hour’s main criticism may prove to be its obtuseness – its sheer unwillingness to allow the audience a true resolution. It’s absolutely the point, and as the final moments play out it’s clear that we’re not supposed to understand how Eshe feels or be able to follow here she goes. Still, that lack of emotionally release, of letting out that breath the story forces you to hold, will leave some feeling incomplete – again, it’s the point, but it doesn’t make it palatable for everyone. Babirye Bukilwa has written something unique, something true, and the truth is sometimes more painful that we are equipped to handle.

Mary Beer, London Theatre 1: In its last five minutes or so, this production plays with some stylised acting choices that vary from the single tone of the rest of it. In these moments I saw a kernel of theatrical potential – although not yet developed as a coherent artistic choice. It shows that the cast are capable of variety (especially Olivia Nakintu) but the work and production are tedious.

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