Stage Review - THOUGH THIS BE MADNESS

Kent Okwesa as Tachia in THOUGH THIS BE MADNESS 
 a Mandala Theatre Company production

⭐⭐⭐

A stark and intense representation of the lives of disenfranchised and excluded young people. Portraying Tachia in particular, and his gradual assimilation in to the underbelly world of a London borough’s dark and dangerous society. Where, despite his resisting, he is in a state of being recruited and groomed by street gang members that are up to no good.

Tachia is a loner. His home life is erratic. He is falling under the radar. By day, he is registered to attend Mr Jones’ English classes, along with Mickey and Cass. Mainstream education has failed them, therefore, Mr Jones has his work cut out to handle the unruliness and to engage the trio in study. However, the plot and characters of Shakespeare’s Hamlet resonates with Tachia. He quotes poetic lines, and eloquently too, which reveals an intelligent young man hiding behind his sully behaviour.

The spoken word forms part of the script and when the players are mic’d up (whether it be in Mr Jones’ class, or narrated from the side-line), the message is powerful. As one expects the rapping poetry is hard hitting and aggressive. The language is not always clear or understood, but the protesting is full of emotion and energy.

The subject is heavy, and there is, of course, a dark tone. A repetitiveness of short scenes happens, and the repositioning of the blocks within an unmoving set, which, and the reviewer acknowledges, is a frequently used format in drama and improvisation etc., However, I think I speak for everyone in attendance last night, that one scene in the classroom, when the thick air of intensity (present throughout) lifted momentarily, was a reprise that we all welcomed with every one of us omitting a chuckle out loud.

This production will be of interest and will bring about educational benefits for a specific kind of target audience of young, vulnerable/impressionable individuals, and will be a good fit as part of a community engagement involving young people (13+) in the raising of awareness of street crime and gang culture happening within deprived, urban areas.

For some who fall outside of the targeted demographic this will be less of an education and more a welcome exposure to creativity of high quality within the art of writing, poetry, and spoken-word performance - a genre which is becoming increasingly popular and taking its place on main stage more and more.

A Mandala Theatre Company Production

Writer 

Avaes Mohammad 

Director

Yasmin Sidhwa

Cast

Kent Okwesa as Tachia

Zak Wadley as Mickey/Gang Member 1

Jason Adam as Mr Jones/Gang Member 2

Yanexi Enriquez as Cass/Mother/Gang Member 3 

Review by theatre critic, Debra Hall who attended the press night performance of Though This Be Madness at The Belgrade Theatre, Coventry (B2 stage) at 7.45pm on Wednesday 20 October 2021