The Swan Theatre, RSC – until 21 March 2020
Reviewed by Megan Raynor
4****
The RSC presents ‘The Whip’- a brand new play by Juliet Gilkes Romero, directed by Kimberley Sykes. The play set in the early 19th century, deals with the political turmoil surrounding the abolishment of the slave trade but is so much more than just a history lesson on stage. The play places us in the heart of a corrupt political system in which the white man’s need for status and power manifests in questionable and immoral decisions. The Slavery Abolition Act of 1833 promised freedom and hope but ‘The Whip’ explores at what cost.
The play largely centres on Alexander Boyd (Richard Clothier), the chief Whip, and his political and moral struggle to push the abolition bill through parliament. A man seemingly with his heart in the right place is forced to put his beliefs and relationships at risk. In particular his relationship with Edmund (Corey Montague-Sholay), a former slave, taken under Boyd’s wing with the hope of a blossoming career in politics. Edmund is a deeply complicated character, Montague-Sholay portraying beautifully a character weighed down by his lifetime of repression. We observe his below the surface bubbling of rage, that he pushes down and displaces with submission for the ease of a simple life, but there is only so much he can take.
Another unlikely but equally interesting relationship is the one formed between Mercy Price (Debbie Korley) and Horatia Poskitt (Katherine Pearce), two women fighting for their voice and bonded by the shared grief of a lost chid. Horatia, Lord Boyd’s new vivacious and straight talking house keeper, forms a connection to Mercy through their shared passion for public speaking and solidarity in carving out a better life for women of the future. Korley’s opening speech, in a rich and compelling Barbadian accent, was a beautiful and heart breaking account of the torture endured by those enslaved and a stand out moment. Pearce was equally compelling with her brash northern charm.
Ciaran Bagnall’s simplistic and stripped back set encompassed the audience in the political debates, bringing up the house lights allowed you to feel truly immersed in the heat of the discussions without the audience involvement feeling invasive. Akintayo Akinbode’s string heavy score felt cinematic, creating a beautifully complimentary atmosphere.
The characters are dimensional and multifaceted; Romero’s writing must be commended for this. The piece at time lacks pace but what it lacks in pace it is made up for in honest and developed human relationships. Like all good theatre should, it is a piece that sparks questions and dialogue about corrupt political agenda that is still ever prevalent in today’s society. An eye-opening piece putting forward the uncomfortable reality of embedded and deep rooted inequality within human kind.