Christopher Walker reviews Wedding Band – a love hate story in black and white

All Hail the Lyric Hammersmith. 

At a time of economic distress in the London theatre scene it continues to showcase new or unknown works for discerning audiences.

Wedding Band is the latter. Written by Alice Childress, a pioneer in American theatre at a time when a woman, let alone a black woman, had difficulty in being taken seriously, is an important, timeless piece. 

This story of interracial love, is also a very interesting insight for British audiences into just how awful the black experience has been in the United States. 

We forget how following the liberation of the American Civil War, Black Americans enjoyed only a brief couple of decades of true equality before their rights were ruthlessly rolled back in a political movement known as ‘The Redemption.’ These laws In the southern states, collectively known as the ‘Jim Crow’ laws, enforced segregation and prohibited interracial marriage. Infringements were punished with lynching.

These themes are explored here. Black Julia has fallen for white Herman. But Childress does much more than that. She finally crafts a series of female black characters who are at the centre of the play.

Cue strong performances from Deborah Ayorinde as Julia, Lachele Carl as Fanny, Bethan Mary-James as Mattie, and Diveen Henry as Lulu.

The male characters are less finely drawn, but Patrick Martins gives a very empathetic performance as Nelson, and David Walmsley brings out how brutal life was for some whites too. His character Herman is German, obviously an issue during the Great War when the play is set.

But not as brutal as for black Americans. Rage against the horror of the racism inflicted is at the core of this play. The white characters are wholly unsympathetic. Particularly Geraldine Alexander as Herman’s awful mother Thelma, and Poppy Gilbert as his sister Annabelle. Owen Whitelaw pulls off a fine performance as the ghastly white trash Bell Man.

By the end of the play this rage overtakes Julia, and the work itself, creating an unhappy ending. But perhaps that is an accurate portrayal of the black American experience then. 

For tickets visit: https://lyric.co.uk/shows/wedding-band-a-love-hate-story-in-black-and-white/

Pictured top: David Walmsley and Deborah Ayorinde in Wedding Band  (Picture: Mark Senior)