Rachel, Finborough Theatre, London SW10

3/5

As part of Black History Month the enterprising Finborough Theatre offers this rarely seen production of Rachel.

Written by Angelina Weld Grimke in 1916 it was the first play by an African-American ever produced professionally and one of the first to feature an all-black cast.

Set in a black district of an unnamed northern city in the US, we’re introduced to the Loving family as they prepare a family supper.

Mrs Loving (Miquel Brown) ekes out a sparse living as a seamstress, while teenage daughter Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo, pictured) muses on a future life fulfilled by a plenitude of children. Son Tom (Nakay Kpaka) has just been selected as quarterback for his football team.

Such initial optimism is overshadowed as Mrs Loving reveals in harrowing detail over supper that it is the 10th anniversary of the death of her husband, an outspoken journalist, and her eldest son in the Deep South.

Their house was invaded by a white mob, forcing her and her remaining children to flee to the north.

Four years later, little has changed for the family. Rachel has graduated from a domestic science course and Tom is now a qualified electrical engineer.

Yet there are no career opportunities, with Tom working as a waiter while Rachel has become adoptive mother to the orphaned son of deceased neighbours.

Rachel has become the romantic focus for John Strong (Zephryn Taitte). She is attracted to him but her sunny demeanour is eclipsed as a casual caller recounts a desperate tale of racial harassment experienced by her daughter at school.

This is later compounded when Jimmy returns from his school with a similar tale of racial bullying.

In consequence, Rachel descends into despair as she realises that being black in the US is an inescapable blight and that there can be no future happiness for her family and her community.

Bleak pessimism is at the heart of the piece as Rachel rails against an uncaring God and firmly rejects suitor John and his romantic illusions.

The play ends uncertainly as Rachel retreats into despondency, hinting at suicide as the ultimate solution.

Despite the darkness this is an engaging and well-staged work.

 While it has to be said that the dialogue is unconvincing, the cast give sympathetic and illuminating performances under Ola Ince’s confident direction.

While key passages in the text are omitted, detracting from the overall poignancy of the piece, the full house for the production shows that Rachel still packs a powerful punch.

Runs until October 25, box office: finboroughtheatre.co.uk

Dennis Poole