Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew at the Bush Theatre – review

Confronting the past is essential to shaping and nurturing the future, and Soho Theatre Writer’s Lab alum Coral Wylie makes a powerful playwriting debut with Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew (directed by Debbie Hannan) — a debut that leaves a lasting impression. Nothing short of brilliant, the play holds a torch over family relationships, understanding queer identities, confronting gender binaries, Black masculinity, and femininity whilst bursting with humour and sentiment. Though always remaining true to the plot, Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew dances on the line of the generational divide, giving the audience both a lesson on Black British queer history and how to grow tomatoes.

The play opens with Pip (played by Wylie) writing in their diary about the misfortunes of their love life and their own failures to communicate. From the start, the fear of communication is underpinned as a learned value that is both damaging and destructive to Pip’s own family dynamic. For the first 45 minutes of the play, there is an apparent unspoken debt that floats to the surface when Pip discovers an old item belonging to Duncan (Omari Douglas), best friend and chosen soul brother of Pip’s mum, Lorin (played by Pooky Quesnel) and dad, Craig (played by Wil Johnson). The audience are treated to flashbacks of Duncan through the use of his diaries that he left behind. These soon become haunting – there is a terrible sense of dread running throughout the play as the reality of Duncan’s fate kicks in.

It is incredibly beautiful to witness Pip’s parents effortlessly respect their pronouns and embraced their identity wholeheartedly. It’s sad to think that this family dynamic could potentially feel far-fetched.

Though the acting is faultless (the stellar cast add their own charm to the magic of the play), the real magnetism of Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew is the writing. For a debut, Wylie is masterful and poetic, sensitive and commanding. The talent is overwhelming, and the level of detail and research gone into preserving the quality of the play does not go unnoticed.

The work of Max Johns and botanical designer Dan Yeo helps to breathe life and manifest new beginnings on stage. Holly Khan’s ingenious work with the sound design also contributes to a wonderful experience; a floral mix of ’80s pop, Janet Kay and lots of Janelle Monae.

If there is anything to take away from Lavender, Hyacinth, Violet, Yew it’s that our parents’ histories may be more intertwined with our identities than we realise, and that even the most overlooked aspects of life can flourish.