EVERYTHING I OWN
Image credit — Manuel Harlan
In amongst all that is left behind when someone passes; their possessions, family photographs, the sound of their laugh and the beating of their drum - Black families are often tasked with a second burial. Laying to rest the hope that they or their kin would have been able to live a life that wasn’t marred by the colour of their skin.
Everything I Own, wonderfully crafted and written by Daniel Ward, takes us on a trip down memory lane that is as sorrowful as it is nostalgic.
Errol (Tony Marshall) is sitting in the house of his late father, listening to the Spotify playlist that he made for him as he packs up the remainder of his belongings to prepare the house to be put on the market. As he drinks a shot of rum to commemorate his father and jives around a living room dancing to ska, reggae and lovers rock - music that keeps us connected to our elders despite generational differences - he receives a phone call from his own son telling him that he’s no longer able to help with the last of the packing. Errol reveals to us that there has been a disconnect between him and his son as of late and he believes that there’s more to his son’s lack of presence than having a busy day.
Erroll’s father passed during the height of both COVID and the BLM movement. The winds of change ignited something in his son, pushing him to the front lines of marches and protests while Errol caught a draught of repetition in the air.
‘’For him it’s a revolution. For me, it’s a repetition.’’
Errol confesses that growing up as a Black man in Kingston Upon Hull, his fate was nearly sealed by a group of white men looking for their next victim. He recounts the pain and anger he felt and his desperation for a better day, a day he tells us his father was sure was coming. Errol’s confession opens us up to a range of feelings and experiences that are commonplace for those of us in the global African diaspora. How unbecoming it is to exist in a world that tells you at every checkpoint that you are alien, unable and by proxy of your skin, not worthy enough of a life that garners basic respect.
Ward’s writing delicately touches upon the parallel between the older and younger generation in Black communities, that the fire his son felt in the pit of his stomach is “a young man’s game’’. He admits that his son had been frustrated with him as he continually denied invitations to protests and talks. While his son saw this as a betrayal and lack of devotion to the cause, Erroll feared opening up a chest of pain and turmoil that had been locked shut for a long while.
Ward encourages us to consider, Is it fair to estimate the lack of conversation or involvement from our elders as an act of complacency or are they actively protecting their peace, something they have had to fight tooth and nail for?
Tony Marshall (Errol) can only be described as dynamic. He brilliantly flips between engaging the crowd with humour, filling us with feelings of nostalgia and allowing us to tap into our own memory bank of those we love and keeping us firm in our seats as he showed us a devastating look into the psyche of a generation too tired to pick up their swords once again.
A key component of the play’s magic was the music. Ranging from ‘Uptown Top Ranking’ to 'Is It Because I’m Black’, the music truly enables the audience access to Errol’s story and our own trove’s of pain and pursuit.
Everything I Own is poignant, necessary and engaging. It speaks to the intergenerational pain that is carried through the diaspora, the exhaustion and resignation felt by many and examines how the weight of racism can cause us to turn inwards and away from those that we love. Despite the heaviness of its themes, the play has such beautiful moments filled with warmth and comfort, a juxtaposition triumphantly created by both cast and crew.
By Jojo Dixon
Everything I Own is showing at Brixton House until 06 July
★★★★☆