Playboy of the West Indies – Birmingham Rep

Gleanne Purcell-Brown and Durone Stokes in Playboy of the West Indies at Birmingham Rep. Picture: Geraint Lewis

Playboy of the West Indies continues at Birmingham Rep until 2 July 2022.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

A barrel of laughs, many swigs of rum and a chopping great time. From the moment you step into the Birmingham Rep theatre, you are transported to the Mayaro Village. Life-sized palm trees bookend the stage, and a rum shop is at the centre, adorned with glass bottles, colourful tables and chairs, and also a bicycle which is nailed to the rum shop’s wall. Playboy of the West Indies is a re-imagining of The Playboy of the Western World. Once an Irish classic, now a vibrant new musical with a toe-tapping original score and rich Caribbean roots.

After a bright opening number, we get the first solo, ‘The Life I Dream’ which is performed by Peggy (Gleanne Purcell-Brown). Purcell-Brown is effortless in her portrayal of the rum shop owners’ daughter. She is a strong and confident female lead, with a natural grace and power to her. Peggy is brave, grounded and independent throughout the show, which is really refreshing to see.

When Ken (Durone Stokes) enters the space, Peggy shelters him, completely unperturbed when he tells her about chopping his father to death. The “chopping” becomes an on-going punchline within the brilliantly written script, courtesy of Mustapha Matura, who has cleverly made the most delicious lemonade out of a few simple lemons.

Along with the book comes the original score (music by Clement Ishmael and Dominique Le Gendre and lyrics by Ishmael, Le Gendre and Nicolas Kent). The songs are catchy, and the lyrics are beautiful. These are compositions I expect shall be sung for generations to come. Ken’s first solo brings goosebumps to the skin, his voice like melted butter. The song he performs about his father is both eery and light. His second number is dreamy, powerful and perfectly controlled. Together, Purcell-Brown and Stokes are the most brilliant pairing and play off one and other extremely well, without coming across as cheesy or clichéd. A standout being ‘Underneath the Moonlight’, which results in the couple reaching a mutual understanding.

Every character in Playboy of the West Indies is in the story for a reason. From the chirpy Alice (Rachel Summers) to the glittering Ivy (Elizabeth Ayodele) with their girly sing-song ways, to the fearsome Mama Benin (Angela Wynter), who completely commands the stage. Wynter is both bold and clever. Mama Benin manipulates the characters around her with an open charm and pushes her way into situations to sate her need for information, but in a warm way that keeps the audience on her side.

The ending to Act I sees Mama Benin making a deal with Ken to keep a secret, and rather than a big production number to finish the half, we get Mama Benin dramatically cleansing the space. The deal between Ken and Mama Benin didn’t go in the direction I expected and wasn’t raised in Act II as much as I thought it would be, but there were many other parts of the narrative that filled the void. The ending of this production boasts action, humour and a full circle moment.

We need more theatre like Playboy of the West Indies. It’s heightened realism, unrushed, with relatable characters, a brilliant script, original well-written music, dramatic moments towards its finale, and unexpected plot twists. The show is a wonderful, fresh form of art.

Alex Allison