The stage in the Crucible is a thrust stage, and designer Kevin Jenkins had chosen to cover it in a light layer of sand, with a red flooring that swept up to the ceiling at the back. This expertly communicated the idea of an outside space in a hot country, that was then altered with props and other set pieces to create the different scene locations. I liked how the set interacted with the costumes as well, making the Yoruba marketplace scene feel totally at home, whereas the British ball was starkly at odds with the sandy floor. It effectively communicated how this place was not for the British characters, and they were attempting to own something that was never meant to be theirs.
The costumes were all stunning, and it seemed as though a lot of thought had gone into them, especially the different outfits we saw Elesin, the King’s Horseman in. They narrated first his power and high esteem within the community, and then as he was preparing for death and then imprisoned, he was stripped of his richly toned agbada and was shirtless, showing the vulnerability he had under the rule of the colonial authorities.
Furthermore, the contrast between the clothing of the Yoruba community and the colonial guards and officials was powerful in highlighting the differences in culture. The Pilkins, the main British couple who were in control of the authorities, wore white shirts and shorts, with enormous sunhats. Their outfits looked uncomfortable and stuffy next to the flowing robes that Elesin, Ilayoja and the other Yoruba characters wore.
The sound was great and really helped to convey the atmosphere of the performance. Recordings of traditional Yoruba singing were blended with onstage performers singing compositions by Kayefi Osha to create a really beautiful setting. The lighting was well designed too, especially the prison in the second act that was portrayed through the shadows of bars on the floor.
Soyinka’s script is a stunning achievement, and it is perfectly acted by the cast of this production. Wale Ojo as Elesin Oba, the King’s horseman and de facto protagonist, had an incredible energy onstage, always dancing and moving with enormous power. Michael Ahomka-Lindsay as Elesin’s son Olunde, previously off at medical school in London, played the character with perfect poise: the conflicted son of a culture so different from what he has experienced the last few years in 1940s London. Even his accent – received pronunciation British sometimes slipping into the Yoruba accent of his father – highlighted this combination of cultures.
Ahomka-Lindsay and Laura Pyper as Mrs Pilkins performed by far my favourite scene of the play: when Olunde returns to mourn his father, he ends up in the Pilkins’ house and discusses with Jane Pilkins the ethical and cultural perspectives of ritual suicide. Olende suggests it is no different from the young men across Britain signing up for world war II, in which they know the likelihood of their death is extremely high, but they are motivated, just like Elesin, by a higher purpose. It was incredibly thought-provoking and the performances from both actors were at their best.
Julius Obende and Olosegun Lafup Ogundipe were both great as the smaller roles of Joseph, a servant, and Sergeant Amusa respectively, with both of them bringing a huge amount of personality and likeability to their characters.
The ensemble too was good, especially when they sang, though there were a few moments where they blocked the action or important plot points due to staging. Additionally, they didn’t always match the energy of the main characters. However I did enjoy their physicality and during the last scene they added so much to the atmosphere. Kareem as director did an amazing job with such a large cast, and although there were a few issues with blocking parts of the stage, overall it was superbly done. Scenes with just a few people onstage still felt so dynamic and interesting to watch in her hands, and she brought out the best in all of the actors.
The only thing I felt truly critical of was the poster and publicity design for this play. An AI-generated image of a man in traditional Yoruba robes holding a handful of apples was used as the poster for this show, which was quite disappointing. In a production that was so expertly designed, it feels a shame to cheapen its representation outside of the theatre with an image that was so badly created: it only takes one look to see that the agbada the man is wearing doesn’t really make visual sense, and the ropes of beads around his neck smear into the clothing underneath. This lowered my expectations going in as I assumed that a production that seemed to care this little about presentation, perhaps wouldn’t be the highest quality. I was pleasantly surprised upon actually seeing it, which was lovely! I just question why that creative choice was made considering the high standard of design in the actual performance.
The poster did not impact my final view of the show though, and I still believe it was an amazing piece of theatre. The technical aspects added so much, and the acting was so powerful and well done. It was a really splendid production that brought to life so many interesting questions and ideas about this emotional and highly charged topic with astounding grace and tenderness.
Rating: ★★★★★
Death and the King’s Horseman is playing at the Crucible until February 8th
