We need to talk about political theatre, or lack of, but do we really? Maybe what we should be talking about instead are our own perceptions of what political theatre is?To paraphrase Anne Bogart - putting a chair on stage is a political act. And so is putting on any type of your own work. When you are a young black man the weight of the responsibility that comes from telling a story never leaves you. What is a “black play” and how do you stay away from your work being whitewashed? In MISTY the pressure is on, and there are too many questions and far too few answers.
In his tour de force performance Arinzé Kene, both the writer and the performer of MISTY, does not pretend he has any of the answers. Quite the opposite. Kene invites us on a multidisciplinary journey through the city we all know too well - London. The opening scene is so absorbing that not only do all my worries regarding seeing a play longer than 55 minutes disappear, but I’m also completely immersed in Kene’s world. I see and breathe the world he describes as he walks me through London’s veins, and I ask myself: Is this what complete honesty in theatre feels like? But just as I’m about to find out, I realise this is all a trick. And so Arinzé begins toying with his audiences. He is in control of the pace of our thoughts and realisations just as we can see his ideas float around the room, taking the form of orange balloons.
Kene’s writing is fast paced, visually rich and soul piercing. Omar Elerian, who also directed the critically acclaimed and heart-breaking production of NASSIM at The Bush Theatre last year, creates a language between Kene the performer and the layered formulas used in MISTY. The award winning LeCoque trained director paints intimate yet visually breathtaking worlds that he allows the performer to inhabit fully. Elerian’s European and Middle-Eastern influences are present throughout the piece, but it is his understanding of the marriage between body and word that makes Kane’s words punch, slash or even and at times float.
Rajha Shakiry’s set design is not only spectacular in its imagery but is used as an essential tool in letting the story grow in varied and non linear ways. Shiloh Coke and Adrian McLeod, the musicians who throughout the play create an omnipresent soundscape for Arinze on drums and keys, also participate in the piece, doubling as Kene’s friends. The “voice” of Kene’s sister, deeply disturbed by her brother’s ideas, is presented by a young school girl, who brings out plenty of laughter in the audiences. Yet this is not just a comic relief device, for Elerian and Kene never take themselves too seriously. It’s the work that counts, and what a breath of fresh air it is.
The production of MISTY is epic and unforgettable, both in its content and form. Yet again the Bush Theatre proves to be one of the most responsible venues in terms of programming. Ideas are nothing but balloons as long as we shy away from owning them. But is that what the balloons symbolise in Kene’s gigantic performance? Or are they there to represent our own veins and multitudes of our own humanity? This is where the brilliance of MISTY really shines through, as ideas chase ideas and no questions are answered. We are left to figure things for ourselves.
The National’s The Great Wave, a co-production with the Tricycle Theatre and directed by the Trike’s own Indhu Rabusingham, has its work cut out for it.