THE LONELY LONDONERS

Image credit — Alex Brenner

The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon, adapted by Roy Williams

In an article for The Guardian, Sam Sevlon’s iconic novel is described as having the “feeling of entering a moment in time…The Lonely Londoners has such a vivid documentary feel”. This can also be said of Roy Williams’ adaptation of The Lonely Londoners, in tandem with Ebenezer Bamgboye’s direction. Jermyn Street Theatre becomes a time capsule of 1950s London, and we delve into the lives of the Windrush Generation. 

Sam Sevlon’s story explores themes of migration, racism, identity, community and displacement. Much like the book, there is no overarching plot, but rather the show follows the lives of each character and the different problems they face. Its central character is Moses played by the smooth and charismatic Gamba Cole. Haunted by the death of his wife Christina whose ghost is portrayed by Aimee Powell, and the son he left behind, he distracts himself by acting as the guide and leader of the other male characters. There is newcomer Galahad (Romario Simpson) whose jovial and optimistic demeanour soon falls victim to the hardships of life in Britain, Big City, (Gilbert Kyem Jnr) who reaching his wit's end, unsuccessfully tries to turn to a life of crime whilst Lewis (Tobi Bakre) takes his frustrations out on his wife Agnes (Shannon Hayes) with physical and emotional abuse. The men find ways to make their lives bearable, whether that be smoking seemingly endless amounts of cigarettes or competing, pigeon hunting or arguing over first dibs on their favourite local sex workers.

The performances of the women in the play are strong and emotional. The relationship between Agnes and Lewis’s mother Tanty (Carol Moses) who arrives uninvited in London with her daughter-in-law is humorous but there is a depth to it. Both actresses deliver warmth, intimacy and the incomparable feeling of being seen when you are made to feel invisible.

Anett Black’s flawless costume design immediately evokes images of Howard Grey’s photography of the newly arrived Windrush generation. The stage is intimate and creates the feeling that you are in a cramped house in London with the characters. 

Throughout the play, the pent-up frustration that inevitably comes from being systematically oppressed reaches a peak and it seems as though each character has no more they can give individually. In these moments, we see them all band together and find strength in one another. The opening scene which depicts the male characters playfighting and embracing each other, is mirrored in the final images of the play, except now we know that the joy and carefree nature they are displaying is a radical choice, a form of resistance even and a survival mechanism.  

Whilst the performances are strong, the play does sometimes lose itself in the action and movement. There are instances where it feels like we are taken out of the story, for instance, scenes between Moses and Christina (Aimee Powell), are powerful on their own but take away from the play’s overall fluidity. The lighting design adds to this. Whilst Tony Gayle’s sound design and the language of the play are reminiscent of the 1950s, the clusters of lights that make up the set that flash between and during scenes, and occasionally display London postcodes feels out of place and confusing.  

To conclude we see in Sam Sevlon’s characters that in good times, and through suffering they hold each other up. They catch each other when they fall, so they will never truly be lonely Londoners. Williams’ adaptation is heartbreaking, sometimes brutal and energetic throughout.

By Melody Adebisi

★★★☆☆

The Lonely Londoners is showing at Jermyn Street until 06 April.