Naima Khan salutes the contribution of Nigerian writers to UK Theatre after the lyrical Estate Walls at Oval House Theatre as part of OMO London.
Arinze Kene's Estate Walls at Oval House Theatre opens with one of the most lyrical scenes I've had the pleasure of witnessing in contemporary theatre. Three friends sit on the wall that surrounds their housing block as they welcome home a comrade recently released from prison. These guys think they're The Capulet boys and they have reason to.
Constantly moving around the stage, funnyman Miles, poetic Obi and dangerous Cain keep each other and the audience on their toes. Before long we learn their priorities – namely making money – and what they think of the fools who try to get it legitimately. Touching but bold in the first scene, is the discovery of Obi's notebook of poetry by Miles, who of course ridicules him for it, but also salutes his talented friend with heartfelt admiration.
A consistent theme in Kene's superb play is the camaraderie between the young men who form a tight-knit family; but also the patterns of authority and constant threats, always implicit and occasionally, painfully frank. The humour too is fantastic, fast-paced and gloriously insulting. Kene has brought together a group of varied characters whose intrinsic links are not only believable but form a suspenseful, emotional hook.
Obi's ambition, his longing for the straight and narrow ,and the group's inflexible loyalties are at the core of the play. But it's Cain's reluctance to change, even after spending a year in prison, that highlights the futility of the criminal justice system and drives the plot in the hands of a genuinely frightening performance from Daniel Green. His relationship with his sensible, romantic girlfriend (a brilliant Sophie Benjamin) complicates matters and their scenes are among the most taut.
Disappointingly, Kene fails to be consistent in his poetic lyricism, which fades as the play goes on. Obi's poetry, which at first is truly engaging, becomes somewhat teenage and the rhythmic banter between the characters wanes. But Estate Walls is built on hilarious and familiar interaction, such as that between Reggie the crack-head (a wonderfully light-hearted performance from Huss Garbiya) and the three boys.
Though at first glance Kene appears to present a clichéd image of black kids with a chip on their shoulders, he makes a valid point about the reasons groups come to feel marginalised, one of which is likely to be the prison-like structures of their homes. More importantly, he reveals enough about his characters for the audience to know why their motives make sense to them, even if we can't always understand them.
James Cotterill's solid, imposing set also deserves a mention for being faultless, and is excellently used by a talented cast and a great script. I look forward to more of Arinze Kene's work.
Estate Walls runs at Oval House Theatre until October 9th
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