Review: SMALL ISLAND - Leeds Playhouse (17/03/26)

Windrush drama doesn't hold back in its depictions of post-war racial contention

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There's no escaping the fact that adjusting to the influx of Caribbean immigrants to the UK in the 1940s was a challenge for the majority of ordinary working people, as anti-black prejudice was so societally ingrained that deviation from this imported ideology would arguably make one a pariah, with even the most compassionate and open-minded individuals hesitant in fully committing to defending first generation windrush immigrants. Adapted by Helen Edmundson, this staging of Andrea Levy's novel "Small Island" fully commits in how it portrays the sheer vitriol from Brits towards post-war Jamaican settlers, but also how this contrasted so heavily with the idealised vision West Indians held of starting a new life in Britain.

The story follows two couples, one Jamaican (Gilbert and Hortense) and one British (Queenie and her MIA husband Bernard), whose lives interweave in late 1940s London, following the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush. Much of the first act focusses on a Jamaican community's misplaced hope of the grass being greener across the Atlantic, and the subsequent integration of Caribbean troops into the British armed forces during the war, the latter in and of itself presenting its own set of challenges. Though the most narratively significant material in this play comes in the second act, what comes before this builds splendidly to the point where the story strands begin to intertwine.

Mark Arends, Daniel Ward and Anna Crichlow (credit: Pamela Raith)

It can be ugly, at times immensely uncomfortable viewing, especially where outdated attitudes and language towards Afro-Caribbean communities are concerned, but this is very well handled, it never feels tasteless or offensive, more a means of maintaining as much historical accuracy as possible, and it is always in service of the storytelling; for this, both Levy and Edmundson, as well as director Matthew Xia, deserve a terrific amount of commendation. Though it can't be easy to put your whole chest into such outdated, vehemently hateful expressions towards ethnic minorities, every member of the cast commits fully to telling this story. The immeasurable hardship of the Windrush generation has been laid out for all to see, and it is historically profound yet still, tragically, achingly relevant.

The use of video is very well integrated, Gino Green having made use of real archival footage from the time as a means of transitioning from one scene to another. This helps centre and ground us chronologically, whilst also serving as a stark reminder that this not only happened, it remains part of living memory, adding to the innate authenticity of the piece. The quasi-narration, especially in the first act, is superbly accentuated by Ciarán Cunningham's lighting which, though fairly simple in and of itself, successfully provides geographical and mood markers throughout the play.

Xia brilliantly gives more than sufficient weight and depth to each protagonist's story, meaning they can each hit home individually, but also that when they eventually convolute further down the line, we never lose that sense of purpose for any of them. This is certainly bolstered considerably by having such a strong cast with whom to tell the story, each clearly allowed to express themselves fully through their characters. Daniel Ward and Anna Crichlow bring Jamaican pair of Gilbert and Hortense to life with marvellous vivacity and gumption, with Crichlow's no-nonsense self assuredness contrasting nicely with Ward's playfulness yet humility.

Opposite them in the role of Queenie is Brontë Barbé, best known as a musical theatre actress but showing her range in this piece with terrific aplomb, giving arguably the performance of the night. There is a wonderful solemnity about her portrayal that represents the best of humanity in a time dominated by prejudice, and against a backdrop of discrimination and division, Barbé is the shining light in a world of darkness. That said though, she is clearly about more than just being the loving landlady we all wish we had, as when confronted with an impossible decision at the climactic moment in the play, we see the unabridged agony through her performance at every turn, and it's a thrill to see her shine so brightly.

These were just a handful in a sea of stunning performances, from Mark Arends' take on Queenie's awkward, bumbling husband Bernard, to the many distinct faces and roles of the ever versatile Everal A Walsh, and the depiction of Hortense's cousin Michael by Rhys Stephenson will charm you to no end. Safe for the occasional moment of minor narrative lethargy, this play does magnificently well to balance the intimacy of the individual stories with the epic scale of the wider historical saga.

It may be an absolute behemoth of a play at 3 and a half hours long, however it holds your attention with ease, and never lets up, making for not only a sensational story of epic proportions, but an important tale to tell in the interest of revisiting history in the hope that we can perhaps learn a thing or two from it.

★★★★☆ (4*)

"Small Island" runs at Leeds Playhouse until the 28th of March (tickets)

{PR/Gifted Tickets}