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Bear with me: Sun Bear @ParkTheatre

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If The Light House is an uplifting tale of survival, Sarah Richardson’s Sun Bear gives a contrasting take on this. Sarah plays Katy. We’re introduced to Katy as she runs through a list of pet office peeves with her endlessly perky coworkers, particularly about coworkers stealing her pens. It’s a hilarious opening monologue that would have you wishing you had her as a coworker to help relieve you from the boredom of petty office politics.  But something is not quite right in the perfect petty office, where people work together well. And that is her. And despite her protesting that she is fine, the pet peeves and the outbursts are becoming more frequent. As the piece progresses, maybe the problem lies in a past relationship, where Katy had to be home by a particular hour, not stay out late with office colleagues and not be drunk enough not to answer his calls. Perhaps the perky office colleagues are trying to help, and perhaps Katy is trying to reach out for help. It has simple staging

Hostile environments: On The Ropes @ParkTheatre


On the Ropes, currently playing at Park Theatre, tells the real-life story of Vernon Vanriel. The show tells his story over twelve rounds, using the boxing ring as a metaphor. It's a compelling and emotional story of a life interrupted by the Windrush scandal using narration, songs and drama. Perhaps a few trims and a cast in fit and fighting form (without colds, flu or covid) could be a knockout.

Vernon Vanriel's story is about a man who, against all odds, never gives up. Despite the obstacles his way, including ones from his demons. From a trainee electrician to the number two lightweight boxing champion in the UK, he had to deal with crooked promoters and a rigged boxing competition. He never got the opportunity to claim the number one title, and soon, drugs and mental health meant he would lose everything. But he would next find himself up against an even more formidable opponent, the institutionally racist policies of the British government. These policies led to him becoming stateless and living in poverty in Jamaica for 13 years. 


Narrated by Mensah Bediako as Vanriel and joined by Amber James and Ashley D Gayle as a chorus of different characters over his life. James gives the piece an emotional intensity by playing family members and lovers, and Gayle gives the show its energy, singing various irresistible songs to evoke a sense of time and place. 

It is most compelling as it faithfully covers the obstacles Vanriel found attempting to return to the UK after two years in Jamaica. The government cancelled his indefinite leave to remain he could not return to the country where he grew up. The show details in grotesque accuracy how the British government hid behind legalese, rhetoric and petty processes to deny Vanriel (and thousands of others) their fundamental human rights.

You leave the theatre with a sense of anger at the injustice of what the government has done since ministers and officials chose to ignore the warning signs. And given the eagerness to move on from the Windrush scandal, it's good to see a piece ask us what anyone has learned. Meanwhile, irregular immigration continues to rise year after year, regardless. 

Directed by Anastasia Osei-Kuffour and co-written by Vernon Vanriel and Dougie Blaxland, On The Ropes is at Park Theatre until 4 February.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



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