Misty review: Arinzé Kene is a firebrand in this abstract show about what constitutes a ‘black play’
“Not all writers get to write what they want,” says Arinzé Kene, the writer, director and star of this mainly one man show.
Only two musicians accompany him, sitting either end of the stage, and occasionally a younger actor makes an appearance as his little sister. But this is Kene’s show, a gifted performer who last showcased his charisma in standout Bob Dylan musical Girl From the North Country, and as soul singer Sam Cooke in One Night in Miami at the Donmar.
Some writers, he says, can just tell a story – of heartbreak, loss, self-discovery – but he’s black so he can’t. If he tells one of those stories about everyday life, he’s accused of neglecting the black struggle, but if he talks about the struggle – name-checking Django Unchained and 10 Years A Slave – then he’s just added to a growing catalogue of art about black suffering, the only ‘acceptable’ black art there is in mainstream culture. “I don’t want to be up here writing some nigga play, defecating on my community, that ain’t a good look,” he says.
So what’s a black writer to do? It’s a quandary explored here with a play-within-a-play, a story of a man maligned by society and on the run from the law after he punches a man on the night bus, and the rough life he ekes out in London. He raps and rails against the ‘viruses’ that are infecting his city with their fancy coffee shops and hipster bowling alleys with little care for his existence.
But that’s not all; Kene constantly breaks out of this story to comment on it, asking if it’s authentic enough or just, as his friends say, “urban safari jungle shit.” It’s an interesting discussion that gets slightly muddled in the execution, with the extended rap pieces – more spoken word, really – often repetitive and rambling.
Kene is an incredible talent who will go on to do great things, but this piece needs a hefty edit before it can be called his masterpiece.