Four young men on a night out in London. Predictably there’s banter, high energy, scuffles and jokes. However these four men are also Black and gay. And the evening becomes a setting to expose and explore the pain and trauma they have endured growing up in a hostile world. But it’s also about fighting back, asserting their identity, and finding strength in their friendship. Underneath the rough and tumble of young men out on the town is a journey from being victims to becoming fighters, and an awareness that they are part of a wider struggle. “Black men don’t teach their sons how to play football…they teach them how to stay alive” says Monday. This is a story about staying alive and claiming a place in the world.
In the process we learn of the trials they have faced. The double battle against raw racism and homophobia is at the centre of the their lives but other struggles paint a more complex picture. The story unfolds through the testimonies of each them as we discover that they have experienced pain and trauma in different ways. Sexual abuse, body shaming, oppressive religion, divisions within the back community not least about racial purity and sexuality, and police brutality are burdens these young men carry. Fear is the one constant in their individual and collective histories.
But the play is not all about pain. There is humour, hope, love, celebration and amazing physicality and joy. We witness the strength of their bonds with each other. They have built their own family to sustain and protect them. Limp Wrist and Iron Fist is about the highs and lows of that family.
Go and see it if you can.
Written by Emmanuel Akwafo and directed by Nathanael Campbell, Limp Wrist & The Iron Fist is a Brixton House and No Name Creatives co-production which runs until 29 November in Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Lane, SW9 8GL. Tickets £16. For further information go to www.brixtonhouse.co.uk
