Fode Simbo as Kayode and Selina Jones as Itan in An Unfinished Man
(Picture: Camilla Greenwell)This is one of the most original and inventive shows I’ve seen in years – atmospheric, beautifully acted and designed, and seriously creepy. In Dipo Baruwa-Etti’s play young British Nigerian Kayode becomes convinced his listless inability to find a job is due to a curse, and submits to an exorcism.
The script packs more into 60 minutes than many works three times the length, including the invention of a new language. Taio Lawson’s production is full of dazzle and surprise, and features a shockingly brutal coup de theatre.
It works as a supernatural thriller, a psychological study, and as a metaphor. “I am history,” announces the imperious possessing spirit, Itan (Selina Jones) to her quailing host (Fode Simbo). Whether she’s real, imagined, or symbolic, Kayode can’t escape her. There’s so much to unpack here; about the legacy of colonialism, the complications of a dual heritage, and the way contemporary life impacts on mental health.
Kayode and his wife Kikiope (Teri Ann Bobb-Baxter) have been married seven years: she’s got a new job “in digital” and he’s seeking work in the charity sector, but they’re both somewhat frayed by the stress and cost of London living. They’re churchgoers but she’s sceptical when his mother and a pastor push him towards a cleansing ritual involving a 72-hour fast. A down-to-earth London girl, she thinks his problems are in his mind: and indeed, Simbo’s performance can be read as a convincing portrait of clinical depression.
He stands knee-deep in a circular pool of water, centre-stage, while the other humans are on dry land. Dwarfing them all, the shaven-headed Itan prowls unseen through their world or broods like a predator from a perch on a back wall lined with votive flowers and outsized speakers. This design concept, by Rosie Elnile, could be heavy-handed: but it works.
The new tongue that Itan and Kayode speak – Baruwa-Etti calls it Shukabhembemese and provides a glossary in the playscript – sounds thoroughly convincing. The sinewy body language that Jones deploys as Itan, and the way Kayode’s anguish manifests in physical contortions, are also eloquent. The sound design by George Dennis plays a vital role, asking us how much of what we hear is in Kayode’s head.
Selina Jones was one of the beneficiaries of the Evening Standard’s Future Theatre Fund in 2021, given during the pandemic to support emerging talents in association with TikTok and in partnership with the National Youth Theatre. Here she fully justifies the judges’ faith in her abilities. Alongside her and Simbo, Bobb-Baxter gives a beautifully understated performance as the loving but exasperated Kikiope, and there’s sturdy supporting work from Lucy Vandi as Kayode’s mother and Mark Springer as the charismatic preacher Matanmi.
Lawson’s production retains a rough, unpolished edge that suggests it’s still a work in progress, but it’s already an enthralling piece of theatre. Baruwa-Etti, who is also a poet and budding film-maker, drew attention with his monologue The Sun The Moon and the Stars at Stratford East. This new piece confirms him as a seriously exciting new talent.
