The Secret Life of Bees by Lynn Nottage - ★★★★☆
The time is 1964 in South Carolina. Two young women, Rosaleen (Abiona Omonua) and Lily (Eleanor Worthington- Cox) flee violence and injustice, ending up on a honey-bee farm run by three sisters who take them in as they try to evade their past. The Secret Life of Bees is an enthralling musical that shows the power of spiritually and sisterhood in the face of injustice.
First things first, The Secret Life of Bees has a stellar cast with so many giving strong performances throughout. Lots of the highs come from the powerful vocals with clear gospel and blues influences; helping to keep this musical captivating. ‘Tek a Hol a My Sol’ was a clear audience favourite from the song list and there were so many others.
The Secret Life of Bees opens with an insight into the difficult lives of Rosaleen and Lily and it becomes evident very early on why they both decide to up and leave. A violent, racist encounter for Rosaleen as she is on her way to vote results in her wanting to escape. Whereas, Lily is running away from her abusive Father.
Before her Mother’s death, Lily receives a postcard with a photo of a ‘Black Madonna figure’ and seeks to find this place that her Mother sought refuge. This is where we are first introduced to the Boatwright sisters (August, May and June) whose bond is formidable and unbreakable, with the oldest sister, August, taking the lead within the family and heading up the honey-bee farm. August tells Lily about the significance of using the Black Madonna on her honey jars because ‘everyone needs a God that looks like him or her’.
There are many subplots in the musical such as Neil’s (Tarinn Callender) love for June and Lily’s affection for Zachary (Noah Thomas); exploring their young love and the trouble interracial relationships could bring during those times. These subplots help to bring the musical to a complete and happy ending.
The set design was stunning and the revolving stage allowed for a wide viewing point of all that was going on, on stage. The lighting perfectly reflected the mood during the musical with lots of low, soft lighting for some of the songs, and dark, moody light for the more intense scenes. The sound effects of the bees were incredibly realistic too; we were convinced there were real bees in the hives at first.
The racism and violence of 1960’s America was clear as day in The Secret Life of Bees, and although this makes for some difficult to watch scenes, there is lots of joy and love in this musical to make this overall a very enjoyable watch.
The Secret Life of Bees is showing at Almeida Theatre until 27 May.
