Leave to Remain continues at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith until 16 February 2019.
Star rating: five stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Matt Jones and Kele Okereke’s Leave to Remainis billed as a gay love story. It is multi-layered and so much more. It is very funny, never self pitying or mawkish, and takes its gay themes beyond its billed plot into parental doubt and conflict and the difficulties that many religious and non-Western societies have in accepting same sex relationships.
Thrillingly directed, staged and choreographed by Robby Graham, it begins with pounding electronic music as a background to the central characters’ initial meeting, almost like a film soundtrack, but explodes into song to enhance the emotion and punctuate the unfolding story.
Graham’s stylised movement, with snatches of dance, has echoes of Pina Bausch, and always serves the moment. The band is pre-recorded, but accompanied by the solo guitar of Chrio Blake, who we glimpse high up on the scaffold at the rear.
A clever and effective set is by Rebecca Brower, beautifully lit by Anna Watson. The score is ‘electronic dance music mixed with West African High music, the music I hear in clubs today’ to quote the composer Okereke. For long stretches it is composed through, like many a rock opera, but is underpinned by Jones’ solid book, that could stand alone as a play.
The central plot is British Nigerian boy meets American boy. American boy must relocate with his job, the only option for them to stay is to marry. American parents are hugely supportive, partly because they see their son’s new partner as a lifeline for their son who is a former addict. The American parents are wonderfully played by Martin Fisher and Johanne Murdock. The latter’s pushy mother from hell is annoyingly funny, and the character progresses movingly and believably.
The Nigerian parents are more conflicted, and Jones movingly contrasts their wish to support and love their son and the homophobia of their church. Rakie Ayola and Cornell S. John are pitch perfect as the parents. John in particular manages to humanise his homophobic attitudes, combining his disapproval of his son’s choice, as he sees it, with his need to protect him from the opprobrium of his religious community.
Arun Blair-Mangat sings beautifully and switches roles effortlessly between louche, drug-taking Damien with his unrequited lust for Alex, and the schoolboy bully turned homophobic pastor. As the sister, Aretha Ayeh is another excellent performance in this stellar cast. As is Sandy Batchelor in a multitude of roles.
Tyrone Huntley and Billy Cullum are the lovers. Huntley’s warm funny, intense Obi is passionate and entirely convincing. Cullum’s addictive Alex, hovering over a relapse, matches him well, and their singing soars. His solo near the end is cleverly staged so the choreography transcends gravity. The songs are so well integrated into the piece that it’s difficult to know where they begin and end on first hearing, but one longs to hear them again.
The Lyric must be congratulated on giving the creative team the space and funding to workshop this piece and then give it a production with West End values. Everything about it is five star, it deserves packed houses and a long life.
Leon Ferguson
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