A SKILLFUL BALANCE OF HUMOUR AND THE STARK REPRESENTATION OF MISOGYNOIR MAKING FOR A THOUGHT PROVOKING EXPERIENCE

By Molly Hayes | Molly Hayes ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Press Invite

Anyone who keeps up with British politics will be well aware of the bizarre and scary events of the past few years. ‘Why A Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister’ is the headlining production of Camden People’s Theatre’s The State We’re In 2024 festival, the philosophy of which being to “[lift] the lid on Britain’s democracy, politics, and public life”. Zakiyyah Deen’s debut play sees her in the leading role of the outspoken politics student Shanice Laybá as she interns for parliamentary candidate John Gainsborough during his general election campaign.

With a title as blunt as this one, I wondered whether the play’s tone would be sombre. However, the play’s comedy was incredibly quick-witted and definitely its strongest element. A highlight for me was the mock TV debate scene between Shanice and John Gainsborough, where Shanice tested Gainsbrough’s debating skills by impersonating caricatures of all those involved in that scenario. Zayikkah Deen’s range when bringing everyone from Gainsborough’s far-right opponent to members of the debate audience to life was nothing short of astounding and hilarious.

On the subject of impressive performances, I was amazed by Ryan Whittle’s portrayal of the self-serving, out-of-touch politician John Gainsborough. His manner of speaking and physicality accurately reflected the typical empty promise-making we’ve come to expect from politicians. This made for a precise satirical portrait that was laugh-out-loud funny. I even saw other audience members jokingly mimicking his movements to one another.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the humour, I definitely couldn’t forget the severity of the play’s core subject: the intersections of misogyny and racism faced by black women in the UK. When Shanice fell pregnant, I was struck by the character’s fear over the shocking reality that black women are four times more likely to die during childbirth. The final monologue of the play as she speaks at a protest after the death of another black woman is a moving and necessary declaration of how the suffering of black women is continuously ignored. I also couldn’t review this play without mentioning its powerful poetry. Spoken word was shown as an essential form of self-expression for Shanice and every word was impactful.

Overall, ‘Why A Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister’ skilfully balances humour with its stark representation of misogynoir and makes for a thought-provoking experience. With such strong writing and performances, I overlooked that there were just two actors on stage throughout the play. If this is the quality of Zakiyyah Deen’s debut, I’m excited to see what else she can achieve in the future.

Why A Black Woman Will Never Be Prime Minister is running at Camden People’s Theatre until 9 November.

WEBSITE

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Photo Credit: Ali Wright