Ché Walker’s play, a portrait of passion and betrayal in a claustrophobic society, owes something to Shakespeare’s Othello.
It’s set in Los Angeles, specifically the city’s mainly Latino eastern neighbourhoods, among sex workers and criminals. Walker depicts a world in which the police are corrupt, hostility is ubiquitous and tarts have hearts — not exactly cliché-free.
Gabriel Akuwudike’s Blaz has spent three years in prison, and during his time inside much has changed. Let down by his old pal Karl (Benjamin Cawley), he finds his partner Havana (Jessica Ledon) has also failed to stay true to him. And, gallingly for Blaz, this liaison was with the bent cop responsible for his incarceration.
Amid turbulent scenes of jealousy and revenge, there are topical nods to the politics of Trump’s America — as well as a memorably strange riff that suggests a link between dinosaurs and the more sultry forms of desire. Yet the best moments are when Sheila Atim is onstage, as Havana’s worldly-wise friend Rosa. A rising star, Atim has written atmospheric music for this 90-minute piece but it’s her personal magnetism that impresses most.
Those around her are fiery without being as engaging. Some of the dialogue is in Spanish, for which no translations are offered. While this is meant to seem authentically Californian, it’s an effortful gesture. Walker’s writing contains poetic and even operatic intensity but more often it’s soapy and confusing. He’s also the director and adds cinematic flourishes that make it feel as if this noirish story might be better suited to the big screen.
Until Jan 26 (01223 357 851, finboroughtheatre.co.uk)
