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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

Lonely Town: The Lonely Londoners @JSTheatre


Sam Selvon’s novel about the Windrush generation comes to vivid life in this flashy adaptation by Roy Williams—the hustle and the struggle contrast with the exuberant joy and acclamation of life in the city. Lights flash, feet dance, and pigeons get strangled...  for food. It’s an hour and forty-five minutes that doesn’t let up, and it is currently playing at the Jermyn Street Theatre. 

Set in 1956 London, we meet Henry “Sir Galahad” Oliver (Romario Simpson). He is in a hurry to start a new life in London and seeks out Moses Aloetta (Gamba Cole) to help him get started. Only to find that Moses and his friends have become disillusioned with city life and don’t share his enthusiasm. The fights, the petty discrimination, and the lack of job offers make it an endless struggle. And it’s fascinating to see the transformation of Simpson as he gets worn down by the endless setbacks. 


It’s a simple yet stylish production, with the cast remaining onstage with a black wall. Elliot Griggs’ lighting serves to give the vibrancy of the city, underscore the drama and spell out the various postcodes as they move about London.

The simple staging allows the focus to be on the finely drawn characters. The ensemble brings them to life and makes them storytellers, witnesses to injustice, and celebrators of the rich life of living in London.

Events move at a clip, and while violence and discrimination are always nearby, there is also humour and warmth that comes through as the men bond and create their sense of family and place. By the time the piece ends, the discussion about leaving London is brief. After all, despite the odds, they have made a life here and created something out of nothing. 

Directed by Ebenezer Bamgboye, The Lonely Londoners is at the Jermyn Street Theatre until 5 March.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



Photos by Alex Brenner

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