The Death Of England
Death of England is showing at the Soho Place Theatre, London until September 28th
Book tickets here
Two FACE members give you their take on the most talked about play of the summer (Ok they went together to see it and loved it and both wrote about it for us).
Ezinma Mbeledogu
The cognitive dissonance, the overt and covert racism, the tensions, the laughter, the joy, the pain and the coming together are all fully explored in this trilogy.
The Death of England trilogy currently running at the Soho Place Theatre unpacks the notion of multiculturalism in England today. By drawing us into the multifarious relationships that exist between a black family and a white family, by weaving in elements of the national game – football, into the rich narrative. What the plays reveal, incidentally the plays can be viewed independently or as a part of a continuum, culminating with ‘Closing Time’ is the omnipresent complexity of these relations. The cognitive dissonance, the overt and covert racism, the tensions, the laughter, the joy, the pain and the coming together are all fully explored in this trilogy.
How the individual plays interweave with each other is nothing short of ingenuous, as are the use of props and the utilisation of 360-degree stage. All the characters are completely relatable – we know a Michael, a Delroy, a Denise and Carly. We in fact could be them or them us! The familiarity of the narrative confirms the observational skills of the writers and actors.
We both saw ‘Michael’ during the most recent race riots in England. As if FACE needed a reminder! Racism exists, it might be latent but can soon bubble to the surface at the drop of a hat! FACE actively addresses these acts of violence within fashion and the arts in higher education and beyond. From what might appear innocuous to the unadulterated nefarious – we do not discriminate. FACE has your back!
FACE actively addresses these acts of violence within fashion and the arts in higher education and beyond. From what might appear innocuous to the unadulterated nefarious – we do not discriminate. FACE has your back!
Linda Mackie
It’s a hard-hitting play addressing the depths of racism in Britain, exploring the power of words, love, friendship and family through the relationship and lives of two friends Micheal and Delroy.
FACE highly recommend catching the brilliantly executed show, Death of England, written by Clint Dyer and Roy Williams. It’s a hard-hitting play addressing the depths of racism in Britain, exploring the power of words, love, friendship and family through the relationship and lives of two friends Micheal and Delroy. It is played out through 3 interlinked shows, giving different perspectives on their lives and the interplay between characters including Delroy’s mother, and Michael’s sister. It dives into what it is to be working class, with a working class identity, opinions and experience.
Featuring impressive performances by Papa Esiedu, Thomas Coombes, Erin Doherty, and Sharon Duncan -Brewster, layers of racism are skillfully peeled back in Michael’s family, highlighting the contraction of racist views, generational cycles, how football brings it to the forefront, and ultimately the insidious impact of racism to Delroy’s life.
Roy Williams, co writer, said that he ‘wished/longed for some kind of atmosphere or climate in this country where we are allowed OR encouraged to be more forensic about what we believe in and what we question’. This is our approach at FACE - to challenge more.