Words: Alex Grunberg

4 stars

James Barnor and Mike Eghan – Ghanaians in the UK during a time of musical, cultural, and political revolution – tackle complex notions with artistry, passion, and humour in this engrossing and personal play.

The story is both quiet and global, at times tense and at times light-hearted, always turning on the beat of music, a through-line carried by the story and characters, filling the space with a sense of life and intimacy. You feel like you are a voyeur in this theatre, listening in on a true and personal conversation between two men butting heads and yet meeting together in unexpected ways, often through the power of rhythm, dance, and music. And the conversations and interactions are so authentic in their contradictions and complexities, as complex as the idea of identity itself.

A sensitive story is elevated further by the performances of these two brilliant actors who command the stage with skill and confidence. Both are excellent performers and their rapport and banter just bring out the best in each other. The moments when they sing together, dance together, transports you. And I was completely invested in their characters’ relationship, the way they forced each other to reckon with their preconceptions and passions.

Notions of socialism, nationalism, and fascism blended with ideals of self and the other. Person and place mirrored theories of personal and patriotic responsibility. All the while, these two actors forged an emotional core in the complexity that kept me hanging on each word until the end.

DRUM
Underbelly, Cowgate – Iron Belly
14:10
Aug 5-11, 13-18, 20-25