My Father’s Fable review

Tiwa Lade is a thoroughly likeable lead as Peace, riddled with vulnerabilities and self-doubt, but clinging to optimism. She shares a relaxed chemistry with Gabriel Akuwudike as her partner, Roy, a loving and supportive figure struggling to stay patient as he is repeatedly sidelined in all the family drama. Rakie Ayola gets most of the really withering lines as Peace’s sharp-tongued mother Favour; she initially seems a stereotypical, overbearing mother figure, but Ayola gradually reveals a more manipulative side, her controlling behaviour driven by a fear of being left alone. Theo Ogundipe is strong, too, as Bolu, conveying every bit of the character’s wit and keen intellect along with a deeply felt anger at his abandonment, which he visibly wrestles to keep in check.

TK Hay’s detailed, realistic set depicts the family’s kitchen and living room in a tasteful ecru and sea-green palette, decorated with woven-wood details. But as clean and ordered as Peace has tried to make her home, danger threatens – a huge crack runs along the ceiling, gradually widening as Peace’s world and identity begin to fracture.

Composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson and sound designer Xana give the production a cool, compelling soundtrack, with bursts of poppy hip hop coming through the radio and resonant echoes of ancestral voices rumbling behind the crumbling walls. The original score features traditional Nigerian singing and intricate fast-tempo drumming, providing an ephemeral link to the heritage that Peace does not yet understand, but with which she yearns to connect