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An extraordinarily fascinating, exhilarating and deeply moving examination of the same sex marriage of two men in prison for homophobic murder. It will challenge your beliefs to the core.Summary
Rating
Unmissable!
About five years ago Dante or Die’s Co-Artistic Director Terry O’Donovan found a news article telling of two men serving life sentences for homophobic murders who married each other whilst incarcerated. It seemed such an extraordinary event that he told his team, whose subsequent research, informed by input from people with lived experience of the criminal justice system, led to the astonishing, provocative play Kiss Marry Kill.
This is an electrifying performance of an exceptional, considered work. The issues raised are mind-bogglingly complex, yet explored sensitively in a sophisticated, emotionally charged delivery. The very form of the play, mixing highly theatrical drama with superb music and movement, helps to elucidate the confusion and manifest understanding, but ultimately it leaves the audience to grapple with their own conclusions about what is acceptable.
Jay (Dauda Ladejobi) begins by giving a graphic, distressing description of the homophobic murder that put him in jail. It is told in the third person – as if not a part of who he is, and immediately we are presented with questions of identity. Leaving his fiancée and baby behind, he is sent to prison for life. There he meets Paul (Graham Mackay Bruce) and becomes involved in transactional sex. But inexplicably he develops feelings for Paul. The pair become a couple and decide to marry.
This script, by O’Donovan in conjunction with Daphna Attias and James Baldwin, is searingly compelling and utterly comprehensive. We follow how these men came to both murder and to find same sex love, touching on parental roles, substandard education and social inadequacies. We’re asked to consider ideas of equality, human rights, redemption, love and sex in prison. Simultaneously the protagonists’ predicaments balance against difficult issues of restorative justice, a failing, homophobic prison system and the role of the church.
Ladejobi and Bruce’s performances are outstanding – at times brutal, but at others poignantly vulnerable as the prisoners navigate a world where homosexuality is abhorrent and homophobia is institutionalised. Ladejobi is confidently convincing as Jay discovering his true self, exposing raw humanity. This is a man failed by society, poorly educated and without adequate language to even describe his own feelings. Meanwhile, the charismatic Bruce succinctly captures Paul’s equivocal nature, his steely gaze piercing and dangerous, yet in an instant becoming a sparkling twinkle: the perfect study of an individual as both man and murderer. A versatile supporting cast give robust presence to conflicting voices and attitudes, and beautifully choreographed ensemble movement juxtaposes with shocking violence.
Attias and O’Donovan direct with supreme precision in an intense, often surprising 90 minutes where the audience, in tight proximity, is enveloped in intimate, forbidden debate. Surreal moments describe mental instability and detachment from reality, while shifting musical styles from Yaniv Fridel and intricate, lyrical rap by Lady Lykez guide us evocatively through the fluctuating atmospheres of prison life.
Even the venue selection speaks to the play’s content – a subterranean chapel with a huge, vaulted ceiling and where it is still possible to get married. Equal in dimension to the enormity of issues raised, there’s a suggestion of institutional space in its stone walls.
Sophie Neil’s amazing set design inventively uses recycled prison beds, which are used to shape new spaces and levels, injecting energy and vitality into the performance. Additionally, Josh Gadsby does an outstanding job of lighting a difficult space, carving out unexpected spaces within the vast chapel to create intensity and intimacy.
This is an utterly riveting work, expertly and exhilaratingly executed, that will take your breath away. You may well be kept awake at night pondering the hugely important questions that it raises, but do not miss it!
Written by Daphna Attias, James Baldwin and Terry O’Donovan
Directed by: Daphna Attias and Terry O’Donovan
Dramaturgy by: Lisa Goldman
Set and Costume Design by: Sophie Neil
Lighting Design by: Joshua Gadsby
Composer and Sound Design by: Yaniv Fridel (Soho Sonic) and Ofer (OJ) Shabi
Lyrics and Songs by: Lady Lykez
Movement Direction by: Ayse Tashkiran
Additional Sound Design by: Ben Kelly
Produced by: Dante or Die
Kiss Marry Kill runs at Stone Nest until Saturday 27 April before touring. Booking details can be found here and tour details here.
