Interesting play this, an award-winner from New York, getting its first airing in Europe at the Finborough.
The Finborough on-line resource describes the play and production well – here.
It is a comedy and it is a funny play, yet the issues in the play about unfair work practices and about attitudes between different minority communities in New York are both poignant and prescient.
The tiny Finborough had been turned into a sort-of Harlem copy shop with the audience all on one side for a change.
The young woman who checks your tickets took pains to ask us not to throw our rubbish in the bins because they are props. We though it was so obvious that they were props that it was almost embarrassing for her to have to tell us this.
But some dumb mf’s has bi dumpin’ dair trash in de set.
In truth, it did take us both a while to get used to the Harlem street talk used in the play, but either it or we settled down quite quickly to that aspect.
The plot was quite slow to build, but by the end of the first half (which was probably two-thirds of the play in fact) the plot was simmering and we were keen for the second half.
That shorter act, after the interval, was very pacey and well done.
The cast were excellent and you can see why this play won awards in the USA.
We picked up some Persian food from Mohsen on the way home. Janie was in a bad mood at the injustice of life as depicted in this play. So it is fair to say that the play was more than a little affecting.
Well done Finborough – another high quality find, well produced.
