In my final review of this academic year, it was an honour to be invited once again to the Nottingham Playhouse to watch Small Island. Based on a novel by Andrea Levy, Small Island moves between Jamaica and London between the 1930s and 1940s, using World War 2 as a connecting point between the four central protagonists.
The theatre had an electric buzz as soon as I walked in, and I knew from the get-go I was in for some fine theatre. Packed into a full theatre like sardines, Small Island provided an exceptional array of humour, anger, sadness, fear and hope centred around four interlinking protagonists. Directed by Matthew Xia, Small Island takes the familiar WW2 narrative and places it under a new lens, focusing primarily on the Windrush generation.
Xia’s set s a perfect setting for Small Island, becoming totally fluid in its purpose. Relying heavily on the movement of actors, the set moves along with it. From being the physical Windrush ship to a bed, the rotating floor in Act One provides an efficient and effective way of presenting the ever-changingcontinents and stories in the play. For Act Two, the set itself is akin to a dollhouse set up, rotating to show the different rooms in Queenie’s house. It becomes an innovate way to present their claustrophobic life in England whilst highlighting its complexities.
A pervading theme throughout the entire play was ignorance, and Xia masters presenting it with ease. While the plays events taking place almost 90 years ago, there is something unfortunately familiar about the hate, racism and ignorance that was recognisable to every theatre goer. Ignorance seems to take human form through the character of Bernard, Queenie’s husband, who is not presented as a villain but rather a testament to the ugliness of ignorance and the dangers of a prejudiced society built on ‘traditional’ morals. Each moment of racism is a lived experience, brutally transformed onto the stage to force us to bear witness to the reality of postwar Britain, and even the reality of Britain today.
Another thing that struck me was how raw each performance felt. Without a doubt, the whole ensemble cast was astonishing and provided a gritty glimpse into the reality of these times. The play is grounded in reality, and it feels as though each experience transcends just being a moment in a play, as we know they are lived experiences. Each moment of hope, loss, racism, injustice, is brutally transformed on the stage, forcing us to bear witness to the Britain’s brightest and darkest moments. Though, humour does play a very important part in the play, creating some real belly laughs rippling throughout the audience. A particular standout for me was Gilbert, played by Daniel Ward who was effortlessly hilarious throughout. Each chatacter is given its time to shine, though, and by the end it felt as though I knew them all on an equal footing. Another standout performance for me was Paul Hawkyard who portrays Arthur, Bernard’s father who suffers from severe shell-shock post-WW1. Despite being unable to speak, each movement and moment with him was masterfully acted and heart wrenching.
Overall, Small Island has was a pleasure to watch and I cannot recommend it enough. Despite its long running time of 3 hours and 15 minutes, Xia makes the minutes slip by as we fall into a beautifully woven story. In a time where right-wing anti-immigration pervades all the news, Xia’s Small Island is a reminder of what makes Britain so great.