REVIEW: NYUMBANI by HiddenViewz at Lion and Unicorn Theatre 3 - 14 October 2023

‘an immersive show which draws its audiences in, giving a powerful sense of shared community’ ★★★★

HiddenViewz is a black-led production company, which explores political and social issues. This show is set in 1930s Britain, in Nyumbani lounge which is a community space for the African and Caribbean population. It tells the story of their struggle to keep the bar afloat. A clever, upcoming black lawyer has noticed a loophole in the law which would allow them to own the bar, but three of the men have different ideas of what they want to do with the space. The manager, whose wife is a singer (and activist for women’s rights), wants to open up the space to show off black artists, for both black and white communities.  His business partner, a black activist, just out of prison, is keen to keep the bar exclusively for the black community.   The third man is egocentrically pushing to turn the space into a brothel, along with a white man who would take ownership.  Embroiled in all of this is another female singer, who is working to put her nephew through school. She is the love interest for the lawyer, and she is also being blackmailed into prostitution. 

The story unfolds bringing us a rollercoaster of emotions showing the harsh realities and pressures involved in working for good. The backdrop of the struggle for equal rights is ever present (including the struggle for women’s rights and the vote).  The show ends, at what might also be a beginning for a follow up show.

The play being set just after the first world war when immigration is changing the face of Britain, presents the exciting and influential new music and dance styles of the time.  The show is immersive, making audiences the patrons of the lounge. There are some wonderful numbers from the singers and the entire cast join in African and Caribbean dancing, ecstatically rhythmical, joyful and even a little bit sexy (one man does a fruity number with a swinging backside – all in very good humour). 

There were some stand out performances in particular Sabrina Madulu as Amy (image above). She skilfully showed the internal and external conflicts between her love for the lawyer, looking after her family and the pressures of doing that.   There are also some wonderful singing numbers from Michelle V Brathwaite as Melissa and she was also very believable as the militant, campaigning for women’s rights.

The cabaret performances are wonderfully integrated with the dialogue.  There are some clever moments when characters appear to disappear whilst still being present so that other characters can come to the foreground  presenting the love scenes, the differences of opinion, the creepiness of one man and the open heartedness of the other characters.  There is a strong sense of togetherness about the show, and it works to include its audience in that sense of community.    It feels like a privilege for a white woman like me to be welcomed in, to see a story about black rights from a black cast and along with a largely black audience. Whilst enjoying the artistic side, it’s also about empathising with the hardships and feeling some solidarity with the themes, mostly the fight for equal rights.

One little anachronism, which was actually also very welcome, was the rap singer, arriving from the future. The characters in the show were rather confused about it, especially querying Spotify and mobile phones, but it felt like a good move. Connecting 2023 to 1930s. There were a number of these connections which reminds us that HiddenViewz are fighting for change. Their manifesto is to ‘bring diversity to the arts by exploring issues faced by those who are often overlooked in society and highlighting these issues through theatre, film and music.’ They aim to do this by creating opportunities for these creatives and themselves.

Nyumbani is a great credit to this objective and as HiddenViewz are associate artists at Lion and Unicorn Theatre, we can look forward to seeing more of their work in the future. 

HiddenViewz Company website https://www.hiddenviewz.co.uk/copy-of-home

 NYUMBANI

Directed by Andrea Lungay

Assisted by Rachel Mervis

Music by Clinton Mwaka, Crawford Kalu and Jovin Okwi

Reviewed by Heather Jeffery