Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew - ★★★★☆
Soho Theatre’s Writer’s Lab alumni Coral Wylie adorns the Bush Theatre in green with their beautifully crafted playwriting debut Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yews. Delicately excavating an interracial family's unspoken queer history through horticultural metaphor— unearthing buried grief, and forgotten joys that lie dormant beneath the surface of their thorny and intertwined past
At the heart of the play is Pip (played by Wylie) a spritely non-binary university dropout journaling about their conflicts with heteronormative representations of gender and blocking a failed romance rather than accepting an extended olive branch. Pip’s struggle to authentically express themselves takes root at home. Living with their rigid but well-intended parents, Lorin (Pooky Quesnel) and Craig (Wil Johnson) who often express themselves indirectly and stumble over Pip’s pronouns. However, confrontations rise when Pip discovers items belonging to a family friend who has long passed. Duncan’s (Omari Douglas) diary serves as an enlightening source of queer ecology and belonging for Pip as well as a haunting reminder of loss in their family.
“I won’t be uprooted again. I’m here. I’m out loud and orange. Covered in bees”
Without Duncan’s words, nothing would be said. Wiley brilliantly delves into the nuances of race, sexuality, and gender dynamics to address a social reliance on Blackness and Queerness to define our differences and measure our proximity to a sense of security in a White patriarchal society. Though Wylie’s writing is openly critical of these relationships, they navigate and nurture them with tremendous tenderness, wit, and compassion.
While the first act could use some trimming to sustain momentum before the intermission, the production ultimately captivates with its unfurling honesty and emotionally rich character exploration. Douglas, tall and beaming, displays incredible emotional fortitude. He stands as a beacon of hope even as Duncan’s health declines. His warmth and authenticity are infectious. Quesnel and Johnson oscillate between the playful energies of their youth and their discontented but enduring marriage with believable chemistry and subtle but powerful emotion.
Debbie Hannan’s direction seamlessly shifts between past and present timelines, where Duncan’s positionality as a Black queer man functions as “the glue” in an interracial couple’s marriage and a new foundation of identity for mixed-race and non-binary Pip. Lorin’s suppressed bisexuality and Craig’s British-Caribbean heritage find refuge in their loving friendships with Duncan. Pip finds inspiration in Duncan’s musings and fights to reclaim his hidden diaries for themselves. The family’s attachment to Duncan at worst veers on dependency and possession.
As Pip encourages Lorin and Craig to revisit their past selves and confront the grief of lives unlived, together they reap the lessons and influence Duncan’s spirit sowed in their lives. The beauty of intergenerational healing is presented as a lush and mesmerizing paradise by set designer Max Johns and botanical designer Dan Yeo. His ever-shifting prism structure is made of cabinets where objects are both stored away and drawn out. These hidden truths emerge and make for a visually striking and deeply symbolic space to call home and tend to as one would a garden.
Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew is a thought-provoking and ultimately hopeful play that encourages audiences to confront the past, break through outdated foundations to embrace their true selves, and cultivate meaningful connections within their own families and communities.
Graves grow no green that you can use. Remember, YOU are spring ~ Gwendolyn Brooks
By Kennedy Jopson
★★★★☆