Rachel (Finborough Theatre)

This daring play explores what it was to be black in early 20th century North America, focussing on a period of four years. We join Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo), an 18 year-old with a thirst for life, and her family, as throughout the play her bright optimism slowly fades to the bleakest of acceptances.

Though a valiant effort to showcase the inequalities in a way that is both humanising and realistic, the naturalism of Ola Ince's production can have a somewhat stilting effect.

Whilst in parts riveting, and the performances of Adedayo and Nakay Kpaka as her brother Tom stand out, the narrative falls flat, making the two and a half hour run time seem unnecessarily drawn out.

Angelina Weld Grimké's script – receiving its European premiere – is undeniably poignant, drawing as it does on the experience of the playwright herself; sections of Ince's production reflect this, such as the transition in which matriarch Mrs Loving (Miquel Brown) and Tom sweep Rachel's torn rose petals in the dim light of the window, or Rachel's haunting piano song to beau John (Zephryn Taitte) towards the end.

However, aspects of the production are too finicky, and tend to ruin the effect. For instance, the fresh food continually changing on the kitchen table is clumsily handled, leading to unintended clanging and spillages, and the cigarettes smoked onstage leave a thick and unsavoury fog.

And whilst the child actors often bring much needed energy to the stage, for the most part Jimmy (Joel McDermott) seemed to be nervously hurrying through his lines. Though certainly not a shortfall of the young actor himself, this distracted somewhat from that realism that Ince is striving for.

Rachel is worth a watch for those interested in social history, and the haunting last ten minutes of the play attain a brilliance that the build up cannot match. And Adelayo Adedayo as Rachel is a bright shining star.