Zimbabwe used to be called the bread-basket of Africa. But Robert Mugabe has destroyed all that. Now the country and its economy are in ruins, and over the past four years thousands - both black and white - have left Zimbabwe having experienced persecution and torture. But their trials are not over when they reach Britain, for many find themselves doing battle with the asylum system.
Based on the personal stories of more than 100 Zimbabweans in exile, Qabuka is a devised piece that is not quite verbatim theatre, but neither is it entirely made up. This "faction" can be confusing for an audience. One of the characters, Jabula, is clearly based on the man whose hunger strike in a detention centre led to the decision to stop deportations back to Zimbabwe. But what are we to make of the satirical interludes in which larger-than-life characters try to get us to invest in Zimbabwe or take a holiday there?
Part of the problem here is that the company have tried to stuff too much in, and although they play wonderfully as an ensemble, all we end up with is a snap-shot of a cross section of issues affecting Zimbabweans in exile, from Aids to being insensitively questioned by callow young solicitors.
However, the evening has a driving energy and intelligence and although it often feels unformed, there are moments when the staging shows real panache. At a time when the British media finds it hard to gather news in Zimbabwe, these theatrical dispatches remind us that, although a story may drop from the headlines, the tragedy of its people doesn't stop unfolding.
· Until July 15. Box office: 020-7582 7680.
