Crowning Glory @ Theatre Royal Stratford East – REVIEW
Somalia Seaton’s new play Crowning Glory expresses the everyday challenges women face in todays society. This hard hitting and thought provoking production, features a powerful all female cast who have hit the stage to speak their mind.
Crowning Glory tackles and reveals issues that black females have to go through in relation to their hair. The play opens with a big introduction, as all of the cast reveal to the audience how much they want to be like the “White women”. Instantly grabbing the audiences attention, Crowning glory takes you through a journey consisting of several monologues, audio clips and movement pieces. These add terrifically to the unusual stage setting and backdrop, that goes in and out of reality. We are definitely fans of the creativity that the director has chosen to use within this production.
We felt that actress Toyin Adedun-Alase takes on a complex and vulnerable character who addresses her past issues and struggles of being called “Pickyed”. With a standout performance she takes the audience to another realm , that had us even reflecting on our childhood. All seven cast members make up a good supportive ensemble that adds too each individual story and helps bring the monologues to life. With this being said the team felt that some of the monologues could have been made a little shorter, just to vary the tempo and keep the audience from fidgeting. Its not everyday that the average Londoner gets the chance to watch seven talented multicultural actresses on stage, expressing how society makes them feel.
So If your looking to gasp, laugh and interact, Crowning Glory is a must watch. Its not everyday that hair is spoken about … or is it? “To weave or not to weave” became a strong discussion once the production was over, this clearly proves the play is serving its purpose.
Crowning Glory is at Theatre Royal Stratford East until the 9th of November 2013.
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Does your hair define you?
WWW.STRATFORDEAST.COM || STRATFORD || £ || 02085340310
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