August in England, Bush Theatre, review: Lenny Henry at his formidable best
August in England review and star rating: ★★★★
Lenny Henry’s beloved as a comedian, but before that he was primarily an actor, as he reminds us with such panache in August in England, a new piece of writing penned by Henry about the Windrush Generation.
Henry’s story about a black man whose life is upturned when he is wrongly asked to leave the UK by the Conservative government is simple but effective. Henry has a natural likeability that makes him ideal for telling this sort of narrative driven monologue which oscillates being being an utter joy and a tear-inducing rollercoaster.
August is real Londoner that just pops off the page
Henry plays August, a Londoner who enjoys running his veg stall, but after his wife dies of cancer, he’s left alone to look after the children, until a raft of intrusive letters start appearing on his doormat from the government.
The Conservative government wrongly deported or detained hundreds of Brits of African descent in 2018, many of whom died after being deported or faced losing their jobs and leaving loved ones behind. Many of the people in the audience were directly affected by the Scandal and were in floods of tears.
The lion’s share of Henry’s delivery is a brilliant, compelling comedy act. The six foot three comedian lumbers about delivering brilliant one-liners, grasping the walls of the Bush Theatre’s intimate auditorium, sometimes sitting with the audience, sometimes offering them rum shots, and they relish every half-sentence he utters ’cause it’s all delivered with such endless energy.
There’s a clever directorial turn at the end in which Henry is incarcerated in a detention centre, like so many were. It’s all horribly uncomfortable, confronting and realistic-feeling: we need more theatre that gets the tonal balance just right like this. Audiences are told they can stay in the space for fifteen minutes after the show to gather themselves, and many choose to, sobbing quietly. In August in England, Henry has found his career gear-change. August is real Londoner that just pops off the page.
August in England plays at the Bush Theatre until 10 June
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