An earnest and heartfelt consideration of what it is to be British for young people in London.Rating
Good
What is it to be British? And who gets to decide? Museum of Us, a plucky three-hander from London Bubble Theatre for ages 10+, asks these questions with an enthusiasm that often makes up for its somewhat shallow content, crafting a narrative that entertains even if it doesn’t penetrate quite as deeply as it could.
The story centres on a school visit that three young friends pay to the London Museum which, but despite all its fun novelties, ultimately fails to speak to their own lives and backgrounds. Therefore, the three are assigned to create time capsules of their own so they can make up for an overly-simplistic official narrative of what Britain is and isn’t.
The three school-aged protagonists Star, Mila and Raheem certainly have backgrounds far from the simple; Raheem is a recent immigrant from Jamaica, while Mila is in foster care due to her Mother’s hospitalisation and Star lives in a flat so small she shares a bed with her Mum. There’s real earthy texture to these lives that the play is to be credited for, and with each the Museum visit misses the mark somewhere. For Mila it’s a portrait that shows a typical family structure, far different from her own – for Raheem it’s the presentation of a Christmas dinner that seems frankly inedible.
All this is communicated with sharp and active performances from actors Lauren Anika, Arianne Carless and Russenï Fisher who are credited with devising the story along with director Maria Vickers. There’s clear evidence of personal flair in just how up to date cultural references are, including a lengthy and entertaining TikTok dance that shows off the impressive skills of sound designer Michael Magambo, but there is also a sense that everything is being reined in and played safe whenever the play is about to broach difficult sides to its weighty topics.
This excess of caution in terms of how simple the story becomes robs the play of a deeper edge, as there’s a failure to find tension or stakes to make the whole show feel anything more than just a fun exercise. And it is fun, and not a bad exercise, but it has the foundations of something deeper within itself that just needs a little more bravery to come out.
That bravery is there in the performances given, especially in the moments of dynamic improvisation that pepper the show. Perhaps a greater trust in that same bravery can lead the show to really do justice to its important themes.
Produced by London Bubble Theatre
Devised by Lauren Anika, Arianne Carless, Russenï Fisher and Maria Vickers
Directed by Maria Vickers
Facilitated by Sapphire Joy
Stage Managed by Kc Gardiner
Set & Costume Designed by Sorcha Corcoran
Sound Designed by Michael Magambo
Museum of Us has completed its current run at Canada Water Theatre
