The Dark takes you on journey in Idi Amin’s Uganda as a mother and her young son escape from the horrors of their homeland in a minibus. Deftly written and performed, it is a timely reminder of why people seek refuge from oppressive regimes and a testament to the courage and determination needed simply to survive in some parts of the world.
With considerable skill and energy – in particular on the part of Akiya Henry – the two actors conjure up a host of characters who play a part in the journey. Fast-paced with sudden changes and switches, the script and the performances keep the audience fully engaged as we witness humanity and humour along with suffering, corruption and tragedy in this struggle for a better life.
The staging and lighting work well to recreate the claustrophobia and tension as the travellers become all too painfully dependent on an aged minibus making it to the border. The ending is yet another timely reminder that for too many people, that struggle is never over.
The Dark was written by Nick Makoha, directed by Roy Alexander Weise and performed by Michael Balogun and Akiya Henry.
It runs until Saturday 1 December at the Ovalhouse Theatre, 52-54 Kennington Oval, SE11 5SW. Call 020 7582 7680 or go to ovalhouse.com
