Review: Where Judas Lost His Boots… And Other Words, The Space

As part of the Voila! Festival, Inês Santos Belmonte brings to The Space Theatre Where Judas Lost His Boots… And Other Words, a heartwarming narrative of how it felt to migrate from Portugal to England as a preteen. It explores both the highs and lows of the experience, every feeling that came with it, and it does so wonderfully in both English and Portuguese, as the English language was not enough to convey the full weight of it all.

The narrative of this show is one that many immigrants can relate to: a young Portuguese girl is excited to move to England and start a new and exciting life, just like the ones she sees on TV, but once she is there things are not as she imagined, as the language barrier is just one of the many she is going to have to overcome. This is an extremely common experience and one that many stories have approached, but Belmonte, as the author, manages to make it feel fresh and unique by centring herself, her family dynamic, and her language. The common themes of barriers, incompatibility with the new surroundings, crushed expectations, and longing (or, more accurately, saudade), are all present and wonderfully shown in a genuinely compelling and relatable story. Her experience with English, not only the difficulty of grasping a new language but the impossibility of finding direct translations for many fundamental Portuguese words and phrases, is at the heart of the show. Language is a central part of someone’s identity, one that is taken for granted until challenged, and Belmonte’s story makes that clear.

Belmonte’s performance matches the energetic, witty, and powerful nature of her script. She is magnetic on stage, capturing both the hopeful preteen, the disillusioned one, and the woman explaining how different languages are more precise than English. Her transitions between languages and accents are seamless. I have to highlight her ability as well to overcome mishaps on stage, being able to maintain composure and even roll with the moment.

The stage at the Space Theatre is small, and for this show it has only a stool, a table, a suitcase full of props, and a microphone. That is enough for Belmonte to tell her story in a creative and engaging way. The props in the suitcase represent different characters, such as the pack-of-cigarettes shop owner, or the Lucozade girl, each with a distinctive voice and accent by Belmonte. It is an extremely clever way to overcome the limitations of a one-woman show, and it adds great comedy. The microphone is used during the interludes, giving Belmonte the opportunity to expand on the limitations of the English language. These are moments of genuine sentiment, as well as moments of calm in what is a pretty energetic story, though they come at the expense of the general pacing. The final touch that brings the whole show together is the magnificent light and sound work, as both elements shift precisely to enhance the mood of the scene.

Where Judas Lost His Boots… And Other Words goes to the very heart of the immigrant experience through comedy, authenticity, clever props and a panlingual script. An immigrant or not, this show makes it easy to empathize and even identify oneself with Belmonte’s story.

Written by Inês Santos Belmonte
Directed by Lillith Freeman
Produced by Foreign Object and Novem Ensemble

Where Judas Lost His Boots… And Other Words plays at The Space until Sunday 16 November.