Review: The Women of Llanrumney, Stratford East

Azuka Oforka’s searing drama tells the story of a household in colonial Jamaica in the 1760s. The island’s lucrative sugar and rum industries, fuelled by the transatlantic slave trade, has made many white Europeans very, very rich.

The programme tells us of a visit by Oforka to Llanrumney Hall in Cardiff, birthplace of Captain Henry Morgan, a Welsh pirate, who became Lieutenant Governor of Jamaica. Strikingly, no mention is made of slavery on the rum plantation he established in Jamaica, also named Llanrumney, and still named that today. Feeling understandably furious by this conspicuous absence, Ofoka wrote The Women of Llanrumney in response. It premiered to great acclaim in Cardiff and now makes its very welcome London debut at Stratford East.   

The story unfolds within the Llanrumney plantation and delves into the lives of three women:  Annie (Suzanne Packer) is the housemaid, a privileged position. She’s not doing hard labour, but pours tea and could, almost, be taken as a friend, certainly a confidant, of the plantation owner, Miss Elisabeth (Nia Roberts). Annie’s daughter Cerys (Shvorne Marks), heavily pregnant and used to hard labour in the fields, has also recently been brought in to serve in the house.

Packer embodies Annie with depth, depicting a woman who clings to the hope that her loyal and unwavering service will secure her freedom, that she’ll get her papers and not be sold onwards. Her quiet desperation shines through and has her placing this need above everything else. Marks brings a quiet strength to Cerys, whose yearning for liberation for her and her people, and her drive to show her mother this truth, creates a powerful tension between them, as she struggles to make Annie see that loyalty alone will not guarantee her freedom.  Roberts delivers a nuanced portrayal of Elisabeth, capturing the character’s descent into desperation as she grapples with financial ruin and the impending collapse of her estate.

The production could benefit from some more work on accents. Roberts’ moves around quite a bit, and poor Matthew Gravelle, playing three different characters, does much stronger work with body language and attitude than with differing accents. An allegedly Irish accent grates badly, but his third turn as the oft spurned Mr Ainsworth works very well.

The set design by Stella-Jane Odoemelam is particularly striking, a grand old house replete with luxurious furnishings, but the more you look, the more you start to see that the grand old house might not be quite so grand anymore: mould has set in. Subtle lighting work by Andy Pike shows this more and more as the story goes, a simple visual for the decaying colonial power.  

Under Patricia Logue’s direction, the story balances drama with a surprising amount of humour. This includes both dark humour and at times farce, as Elisabeth’s fall from grace hurtles along, just like the stark realities of its subject matter. Fascinatingly put together, the comedy, the luxury of comedy, only takes place when Elisabeth is on stage. The stakes are so much higher for the slaves; there is no room for laughs. It’s a masterful depiction. The pacing is fantastic too; it’s hard to believe that we are halfway through when the interval arrives.    

The Women of Llanrumney is Azuka Oforka’s first play and it won her the Best Writer award at The Stage Debut Awards 2024 following the run in Cardiff. Don’t miss your chance to see this in London.

Written by: Azuka Oforka
Directed by: Patricia Logue
Set & Costume Design by: Stella-Jane Odoemelam
Lighting Design by: Andy Pike
Composed by: Takisha Sargent
Sound Design by: Ian Barnard

The Women of Llanrumney plays at Stratford East until Saturday 12 April.