Review: Positive, Southwark Playhouse Borough

Part of 2025’s Forge Festival, Positive is one of four creative triumphs hosted at Southwark Playhouse Borough’s Little Theatre.

Positive invites us to a warm pink stage to appreciate a story of love, friendship, pain and uncertainty. The deceptively simple setting is nestled in Southwark Playhouse Borough, home to creative works, inclusive creatives and a sold-out performance!

Rarely does a two-handed show demonstrate parity between actors. Here, the balanced elegance of interactions between Malachi, (Malachi Antonio) and Ade (Kojo Quainoo) generously explores their experiences of and insights into the world of queer Black men, navigating relationships, sexuality and the reality of toxic interactions, STIs and HiV diagnosis.

Malachi and Ade exchange communication in expression, language and movement to negotiate their world of dating/hook up apps, Instagram likes and the quest for love, happiness and appreciation. Yet they also have to overcome their perceived expectation and miscommunications as they learn to trust and expose their fears and vulnerabilities. The contrast of pragmatic hook ups and longing for romantic love envelops the dynamics of social posturing and expectations, being outed as queer, HiV positive, or emerging from a toxic relationship. Further layers are evident in the interesting mix of expressions in Patois, English and queer slang. Nuances of intersection are explored between cultural behaviours and the weight of family expectations and rituals.

This compelling production increasingly engages the audience as the men explore themes of sexual tops vs bottoms, contrasting douching with use of condoms and friendship, hook ups and unrequited love. The love and laughter is soberingly punctuated with visits to a sexual health clinic, fear of diagnosis, hurt of unrequited love and dance of platonic friendship and laughter. The audience is unsurprisingly vocal in their appreciation of humour, self-reflection, self-awareness, and celebrated recognition that self-love includes the ability to be happy without being with a man!

The effervescent duo of Malachi and Ade traverse their story with dance transitions that are graceful, raunchy and tender. The impressive music and soundscape (Esther Kehinde Ajayi) carries the audience through memories, aspirations, longing and anticipation. Effective deployment of their dramaturg, malakaï sargeant, undoubtedly adds depth and authenticity to this powerful duet between two young, beautiful, complex Black men as they manage their lives. The coherence of staging, lighting, music and personalities is orchestrated beautifully by director Robert Awosusi.

This impressive combination of passionate creatives has unleashed their love and warmth into this heartfelt 60 minutes. It’s impossible to do them justice in this brief review. Visual Sauce serve the T, seemingly effortlessly.

As Positive concludes all too soon, the palpable warmth and inclusion continues as we, their audience, exit The Little and continue to celebrate and laud this excellent production.

Written by: Temi Majekodunmi
Directed by: Robert Awosusi
Dramaturgy by: Malakaï  Sargeant
Set and Costume Design by: Amanda Ramasawmy
Sound Design by: Esther Kehinde Ajayi
Lighting Design by: Alex Forey
Movement Director: Tanaka Bingwa
Intimacy Director: Tommy Ross-Williams
Stage Manager Leonora Nicholson

Produced by: Mwansa Phiri for Visual Sauce

Positive plays at Southwark Playhouse until Saturday 17 May.