Pandora's Box

I’m torn by Ade Solanke’s new play. It’s firecracker theatre that, in places, is as touching as is it hilarious. Setting such a provocative story in the Arcola Tent – pitched perfectly at its rowdy audience – is also a stroke of genius. But the cliches are lathered on way too thick and we don’t need to be reminded every ten minutes that a mother’s choices can be tough.

The story is familiar from the sources mentioned in the notes, including Citizen Kane and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. A mother wonders whether it’s better for her misbehaving son to grow up with her, or in richer, stricter surroundings where he might have more opportunities. Only now, the action is transported to a living room in Lagos, Nigeria. This adds an interesting immigration subtext to the plot, as three generations of family from two continents hammer out the pros and cons.

The performances are controlled nicely, especially Bradley John as the troublesome teen Timi and Anna-Maria Nabirye as his mother, Toyin. I just wish they’d dial down the tendency to make the characters feel like stereotypical stock – from the feisty stepmother to the bumbling uncle – and let us use our imaginations. Still, definitely worth the trip, if for nothing else than the chance to see a local audience up in arms.