Noughts & Crosses at Regent’s park Open Air Theatre review
Over the nearly-25 years since the first instalment was published, Noughts & Crosses has become a juggernaut in the world of Young Adult literature. Across six novels, three novellas and a two-series BBC adaptation, Malorie Blackman imagines an alternate history in which colonial powers from Africa conquered the west, subverting global power dynamics.
This is a world divided between the Noughts, the oppressed light-skinned people, and the Crosses, those with darker skin who hold political and financial power.
This adaptation of the first book is told through the prism of a Romeo and Juliet-style relationship between Nought Callum McGregor and Cross Persephone “Sephy” Hadley. The young teens share their first kiss and sneak off to hang out together, despite their parents disapproving of this mixed relationship, not least Sephy’s politician father.
In this version of modern Britain, Jim Crow-style segregation laws are still in place and Callum is one of just three white kids accepted into a prestigious black school, where he is entirely unwelcomed by students and teachers alike. Callum’s wayward brother Jude, meanwhile, becomes increasingly radicalised, bringing the family into direct confrontation with the political might of the Crosses.
Set over several years, the two leads show some admirable acting chops, especially Noah Valentine’s Callum, who appears to age before your eyes. Indeed, the entire cast bring a fizzy energy to their roles, although there’s little space for subtlety when there is so much plot to race through.
The action takes place against a multi-tiered backdrop of rusted metal catwalks, crumbling concrete pillars and stained tiles, which feels appropriately dystopian. The atmosphere only intensifies as the sun sets over Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre, creating pockets of gloom from which the actors emerge.
Had I read Noughts & Crosses as a 14-year-old, I suspect I may have a different take on this production. As a forty-something-year-old, though, it’s a fairly frustrating experience. Criticising a Young Adult production for failing to appeal to grown-ups feels a little futile but suffice to say this adaptation is faithful to a fault and the result is a play painted in broad splashes of black and white.