REVIEW: BLOCK’D OFF by Kieton Saunders-Brown at Camden People’s Theatre 8-19 November 2022

‘A heart-breaking tale of poverty, hope and despair’ ★★★★

Five people caught in a cycle of poverty and deprivation, all living in the same block of flats. An older Brazilian woman who barely speaks English, a young Black dad raising his daughter alone, a drug dealer and his girlfriend and a middle-class student who has been kicked out of home.  Block’d Off is a stark tale of poverty and the realities of being trapped in lives forced upon people by a world that works against them and chooses to turn away from their plight.

Policy debates about poor people often focus on their lack of aspiration. This play bursts that myth. Some characters have pipe dreams like the drug dealer and his girlfriend fantasising about escaping to Spain. Some dreams are heartbreakingly within reach, like those of a dad doing everything he can to help his daughter excel in her exams so she can live the life that should have been his.

Kieton Saunders-Brown’s writing is superb. He brings humour and humanity to the characters he has created, expertly weaving their stories together. The beautifully written dialogue brings his characters to life in poignant detail. While he sometimes veers into the didactic, this can be forgiven, given the subjects he is dealing with.

Camila Segal’s energetic portrayal of all five characters and a host of minor characters too, holds the audience’s attention throughout the play. While her performance occasionally lacks light and shade, she confidently switches between the characters she plays, and brings pathos as well as humour to her performance. 

There were a few technically annoying things like parts of the set obscuring the subtitles used to translate the Brazilian character’s speech, and I wanted to know more about her character in particular. But overall, this play is well worth going to see.

Block’d Off by Kieton Saunders-Browne, Camden People’s Theatre, 8-19 November 2022, https://cptheatre.co.uk/whatson/blockd-off

Performer Camila Segal

Writer/Director Kieton Saunders-Browne

Producer Jake Curran-Pipe

Sound Designer Elliot Popeau-George

Lighting Designer Kevin Murphy

Stage Manager Charlie Goldhawk

Production Assistant Alice Sufferin

Additional Performers Alissia Di Cosmo, Sam MacGregor

Reviewer: Srabani Sen

Srabani is a theatre actress and playwright. As an actress she has performed at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse (The Globe), the Arcola, Southwark Playhouse, The Pleasance and numerous fringe theatres, in a range of roles from Shakespeare to plays by new and emerging writers. She has written several short and full-length plays. Her play Vijaya was shortlisted for the Sultan Padamsee Playwrights Award in Mumbai, and her play Tawaif was long listed for the Finborough ETPEP Prize.