Small Island
Adapted by Helen Edmundson, based on the novel by Andrea Levy
Nottingham Playhouse
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Migration, class, race, belonging—all are themes that are so relevant in 21st century Britain. They
are also essential parts of Helen Edmundson’s adaptation of Andrea Levy’s novel Small Island
which show us little has changed over the past 80-odd years.
With the Windrush scandal still fresh in people’s minds—and many victims still waiting to receive
full compensation—parallels can be drawn between the injustice faced by some of the main
characters in Small Island and the hardships faced by some immigrants seeking asylum in Britain
now.
The play, the first time it’s been seen outside London, begins in Jamaica full of optimism. Hortense,
delightfully played by Anna Crichlow, wants to go to England to become a schoolteacher.
Gilbert, commendably portrayed by Daniel Ward, is resolute about becoming a success in England
when the war is over even though he suffers racism, prejudice and feelings of inferiority in the RAF.
White airmen express “amazement, curiosity and fear” when they first come across him.
Anna Crichlow (Hortense) and Daniel Ward (Gilbert). Above: Daniel Ward (Gilbert) and Mark Arends (Bernard). [Images: Pamela Raith]
they arrive here are detailed in the second half of the show.
Hortense, who’s had a marriage of convenience with Gilbert, joins him in England. It’s soon apparent that the comfortable homes of the white population contrast sharply with the squalor faced by black people, many of them living in one room and having to share a toilet.
Hortense becomes even more distraught when she learns her qualifications don’t mean anything in
Britain and she would have to train to be a teacher all over again.
Gilbert and Hortense are helped by indefatigable Queenie, strongly and credibly played by Bronté
Barbé who shows compassion and respect for her lodgers.
There is also a stirring performance from Mark Arends as dopey Bernard, married to Queenie but
self-centred and horribly racist. “You could have chosen white lodgers,” he tells his wife, and the
gasps can be heard around the auditorium. Despite that, Arends poignantly tries to convince
Queenie that he could become a good father to her mixed-race son, the product of an affair with a
Jamaican airman.
All 15 cast members give admirable renditions. Paul Hawkyard in particular gives a clever
interpretation of Arthur who is mute and mentally ill after a traumatic experience in World War I.
Incidentally, it’s surprising to note that Daniel Ward is making his professional theatre debut. He’s
well known for his television appearances, most recently as Solomon Clarke, DI Mervin Wilson’s
long-lost half-brother, in Death in Paradise.
Small Island is long at three hours, including an interval, yet it never drags and keeps the
audience’s attention throughout.
Bronté Barbé (Queenie) and Paul Hawkyard (Arthur)
But at 90 minutes, the first half seems slightly drawn out. Perhaps there could have been a judicious cut here and there. The relationships between the protagonists could be tightened to allow the second half to include more examples of the awful treatment faced by immigrants simply because of their colour.
There’s some shocking language in Small Island which isn’t acceptable nowadays, showing that at least some progress has been made in changing attitudes.
It’s a gripping production which deserves a wider audience after its run in Nottingham.
* This review originally appeared on the British Theatre Guide website
