Theatre: Little Baby Jesus
Orange Tree Theatre, Richmond (020-8940 3633). Until 16 November
Running time: 2hrs 20mins
★★★★★
It’s been quite the year for the actor-writer Arinzé Kene, said Matt Wolf on The Arts Desk. The West End transfer of his self-penned one-man play
Misty brought him Olivier nominations as both actor and writer. He then won plaudits as the volatile son Biff in the Young Vic’s acclaimed production of
Death of a Salesman. And now the Orange Tree in Richmond has staged a stunningly vivid and high-energy revival of Kene’s 2011 play Little Baby
Jesus. A play that tells the story of three inner-city London teens at a pivotal moment of growing up into adulthood, it is largely made up of rapid-fire monologues. Cleverly intertwining their separate narratives, it climaxes in a poetic epilogue and an exhortation to the audience. The adrenalin never lets up in a pacy production that is so peppered with brilliant verbal and physical riffs, it frequently has “the feel of a language-led dance”.
With Misty, Kene dexterously flipped “another generic angry young black man play” into an absorbing and entertaining show about the quandaries of representing race on stage, said Maxie Szalwinska in The Sunday Times. And with Little Baby Jesus, the playwright edges towards – but then “joyfully dodges” – tales of black inner-city woe. The evening is an absolute triumph for its outstanding three-strong cast, said J.N. Benjamin in The Stage.
Rachel Nwokoro is “sensational” as the hard as nails but vulnerable Joanne, and delivers her speeches with a “lyrical flow” worthy of a world-class rapper. Khai Shaw is just as “brilliant” as the clownish Rugrat, and Anyebe Godwin has an incredible stillness in his portrayal of mature-beyond-hisyears Kehinde. “Collectively, they’re dynamite.”
The production is also a triumph for its young director Tristan Fynn-Aiduenu, said Miriam Gillinson in The Guardian. Fynn-Aiduenu is this year’s winner of the JMK Award for emerging directors, and is plainly a talent to be reckoned with. He takes Kene’s script as an “invitation to play”, and then “runs – no, sprints – with it”. His show has “great bravado and heart” – and it’s enormous fun.