Born Ian Roberts in London in 1967, Kwame Kwei-Armah changed his name aged 19 after tracing his family history back to Ghana. In 1979 he witnessed the Southall riots, on which he based his first play, A Bitter Herb. His 2003 National Theatre play Elmina’s Kitchen was shortlisted for an Olivier award, won him an Evening Standard award. Since 2011 he has been artistic director of Baltimore’s Center Stage state theatre of Maryland. His TV acting credits include Casualty, Holby City and The Bill, and he has presented documentaries on Christianity and the Queen. He was awarded an OBE in 2012 for his services to drama. The Bob Marley musical One Love, which Kwei-Armah wrote and directed, is on at the Birmingham Repertory theatre until 15 April.
1 | Theatre
Dreamgirls at the Savoy theatre
I’ve loved this musical for ever. I auditioned for it when it nearly came to London, maybe 20 years ago, and then I auditioned again when it was the movie. I recently saw this production in the West End. I happened to be in town that day and had the night off – which is very rare – and I ran to the theatre. I cried, and I laughed, and I sang, all night long. It was bloody brilliant. I particularly like the scene when [character Effie White] the most brilliant singer in the world has been ejected from the band and she sings: “And I am telling you I’m not going.” I defy anyone with a heart to not cry.
2 | Film
August Wilson has been my role model as a playwright from the moment I encountered his work, maybe 25 years ago. And to see Denzel Washington – who not only directs this magnificent film but stars in it – keep the truth of the play was just beyond. It was a magnificent investigation into “suppressed manhood”. I’ve seen the play in the theatre many times and the film compared beautifully. I thought it was very faithful: it was the play, and yet for prosperity, on celluloid. Viola Davis’s performance was unbelievable. But also Denzel, and everyone in the film.
3 | TV
This is just gripping: I watched season one and then season two directly after it. The lead actor [Wagner Moura, who plays Pablo Escobar] is brilliant. It captures a moment and a time and the motivations of people who need to survive by any means necessary. I felt when I was being pulled deeper and deeper into the story that I was being given truth. There’s a moment in the second series where his mother speaks to the camera about her son, and it didn’t feel like it was being made glamorous or more beautiful than it really was. I’m not really a gangster genre guy, but this was extraordinary.
4 | Restaurant
I’ve just started to get into vegan food. My sister took me here and I loved it – I went back three times in the same week. I love the freshness and honesty of the food – baked plantains rather than fried. They treated us really well. They put on a Spotify playlist because they saw us jumping a little and nodding our heads to what was being played. It was a lovely experience.
5 | Music
The is an album by Louie Vega, featuring artists like Caron Wheeler, the Clark Sisters, and the Winans. And I gotta tell you, it’s the most joyous two hours I’ve had in a very long time. I downloaded it only a week ago and I haven’t stopped listening to it. Louie Vega is the godfather of soulful house – it reminds me of my youth, with a tinge of what is modern. It lends itself to coming home at night after a really hard day and needing to feel good. You put it on and dance in your living room, and you just feel better by the end.
6 | Website
The clothes on this website are to die for. The designs are kind of contemporary ethnic: the cuts are really modern but the colours are eclectic and energetic. I wanted to buy everything they made, even if it didn’t fit me. Honestly, it’s a feast of contour and colour. I don’t own any of their clothes yet, but I’ve ordered some. In fact, I was trying to get some for my opening night, but I don’t know if they’ll arrive in time.
7 | Book
Henrik Ibsen’s The Lady from the Sea
This is a fantastic David Eldridge adaptation I read last week. It’s about a woman who’s married to a doctor, who loves her, and he’s a bit older. Then a stranger appears who says to her: “You once loved me, and it’s time for you to come and join me – leave this domestic bliss behind and come on an adventure of the heart and of the soul.” And she has to make a choice. I love Ibsen anyway, but this was so subtle and deep, and so current. It’s a psychological investigation as to why we are in the relationships we are in; why we commit, and why we don’t. It captured so much of what I love about modern drama.
