Noughts and Crosses Play Review – Ayoola O
On Tuesday, the 8th of November, some members of the Stephen Lawrence society went to watch the Noughts and Crosses play at New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich. I was really looking forward to watching the play, having already being familiar with the book and the author, Malorie Blackman. For those not familiar with the book, in short, it is often described as a ‘Romeo and Juliet’ story centred around two people called Sephy and Callum who are in a world of racism, prejudice and discrimination.
I found it really interesting due to the completely different spin that she took in addressing racism, prejudice, stereotype and the treatment of black people in society. This speculative, dystopian-like fiction creates an alternative world as well as a reversal of history. This reversion: of reality is initially a very mind-boggling concept to grasp as it forces you think in a completely different way, which makes this book one of the first of its kind and is very much a special book in many of our childhoods. Stormzy was an avid fan of the books growing up, and he was thrilled when he was able to play a part in the BBC Noughts and Crosses series saying, “As a diehard fan of Malorie’s novels, being part of this show is a dream come true.”
Having watched an interview with Malorie Blackman she said “she wanted to do it her way.” She hoped that it would make people see it in a different way and also referred to the saying “that you can’t really experience it till you have walked in some people’s shoes for a while.” Noughts and Crosses was Malorie Blackman’s 50th book and she said “I wanted to address racism and its legacy directly.” One other significant reason for why she felt inspired to write the book was because of the Stephen Lawrence case. She was alarmed by the poor handling of the case and the way that the Lawrence family had been treated by the police.
RHS has a Stephen Lawrence society, where we meet every Thursday. The aim of the society is to help educate people within the school about what happened to Stephen and continue to raise awareness of race issues and promote the celebration of black identity.
When Malorie was asked about her thoughts on the play having been adapted so many times, she felt really lucky and was happy that they kept the ‘essence’ of the book. One part which I found really resonant was the plaster scene which was poignant in the book, the series and also within the play. Although subtle, it has such a powerful message on unconscious bias and conformity to societal expectations.
As a result, the play was particularly intriguing to watch to see how they would adapt the book and how it would be illustrated in a theatrical setting. The acting was good and I also liked the creative approach they took in terms of the transitions between each scene. For example, the way in which they used the lighting and also props such as the chairs in between each scene to add to the dramatic effect. Esther Richardson’s creative production with the use of lit-up boxes and walls that served effectively as cupboards was used also to enhance the dramatic moments. The use of lighting was very poignant and really helped to amplify the emotional intensity of the interaction between Callum and his sister Lynette. Effie Ansah who played Sephy and James Arden who played Callum were able to capture the complexities of friendship and love within a segregated and deeply divided world.
I decided to ask some of the people that had also watched the play, to get their thoughts and opinions:
Esther O said, “ I thought the play was amazing and so well carried out, I thought that they captured the message of the book really well.”
Post Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.