STRATFORD EAST – UNTIL 12th APRIL 2025
Reviewed by Jackie Thornton
5*****
Freshly transferred from its Cardiff debut, The Women of Llamnumney, from exciting new writing talent Azuka Orforka, sets out to shine an unflinching spotlight on the realities of slavery in 18th century Jamaica, where sugar plantations were exporting their riches to the world. Told through the perspective of women, those who benefited from it, those who were brutalised by it and those who fought to destroy it, my goodness does it deliver.
Stella-Jane Odoemelam’s evocative set locates us entirely in the dining room of Llanrumney’s slightly rundown palatial home, where plantation owner Elisabeth is served a conveyor belt of meals, including second breakfast, by her enslaved housemaids Annie and Cerys. Here we witness the stifling reality for these three women which isn’t just down to the heat.
Odoemelam’s costumes not only feel authentic but also capture the flamboyance of the ruling class with bright oranges and pinks reflecting the island’s fruit whereas the enslaved women wear achingly white aprons and hats with muted blues.
Suzanne Packer is magnificent as scheming housekeeper Annie, who’s convinced her loyalty will eventually earn her freedom, and Shvorne Marks as the more rebellious Cerys, fresh in from the fields, delivers the stoicism and resolve needed to survive such a harsh existence with a believable dignity.
They make a wonderful double act with Patricia Logue’s detailed and measured direction skilfully employing humour to ridicule the obscene lifestyles of the plantation owners. There’s confidence in allowing Nia Roberts as Elisabeth to just sit and be waited on for lengthy periods and it’s testament to Nia’s physicality and vocal range that from that seated position, she controls the scene.
The dynamic between Elisabeth and Annie is incredibly well-managed and so absorbing as statuses shift and vulnerabilities surface. And not forgetting three brilliant and distinctive performances from Matthew Gravelle playing Elisabeth’s potential suitors.
The Women of Llanrumney is a difficult and harrowing watch in places but it is certainly worth it. An eye opener to a highly uncomfortable period of history.