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The brown word: Death on the Throne @gatehouselondon

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We’re warned at the start of the show with an upbeat number that this is not the usual sort of musical. And it turns out to be just that. But with boundless enthusiasm and energy from its two leads, who deploy a range of voices and breathtaking energy to create a series of voices for puppet characters, a bedtime story becomes a silly oddball tale about four souls stuck in purgatory. With puppets. And various toilet humour references. It’s currently playing at Upstairs At The Gatehouse . The piece starts as a bedtime story. Daddy (Mark Underwood) is about to read a bedtime story for Louise (Sarah Louise Hughes). But her stomach felt funny, and soon, she went to the bathroom. Then, for reasons that seem to only make sense in the confines of the show, they start telling the story of four people who died in unfortunate circumstances in the bathroom. Depicted as puppets, they’re stuck in purgatory as St Peter doesn’t have enough space for each of them in the afterlife. And so begins a puppe...

Man not about town: Foxes @theatre503


Upbringing, identity and family are at the heart of Foxes, by Dexter Flanders, currently at Theatre 503. It’s a powerful and often funny piece, sensitively portrayed by the ensemble cast with a lively soundtrack.

Daniel (Michael Fatogun) is a young black man trying to keep up with a life that is quickly racing away from him. He’s got study to do, he’s got his girlfriend, Meera (July Namir), pregnant, and he has a best friend, Leon (Anyebe Godwin), who wants to play more than just black ops with him.

The foxes in Dexter Flander’s play aren’t the ones running about tearing apart rubbish bags on the street. They’re the men hiding in the shadows, fearing rejection and fearing ridicule. There’s too much at stake for them to be who they are, and so they hide behind alpha male stereotypes, family and religion to pretend to be something they are not. 

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What makes this work so well is how it quickly immerses you into the world of the lives of this black B ritish family, creating a detailed portrait of who they are. The cast then brings it to life with their sensitive and often humorous portrayals. Doreene Blackstock, the matriarch of the family and Tosin Alabi as the smart younger sister, round out the cast. It may not be your typical coming out story, but it is a believable one. 

The piece was on the shortlist for the Alfred Fagon Award in 2018. It was due to open last April, but we have had to wait a bit longer to see, thanks to the pandemic and lockdowns. It’s been worth the wait and another reminder about what’s excellent in the fringe theatre scene in London.

Directed by James Hillier, Foxes is at Theatre 503 until 23 October. There’s a relaxed and captioned performance on 20 October as well. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Photos by Adam Yemane 


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