Theatre review: Shedding a Skin at Soho Theatre

By Christopher Walker

You can see why Phoebe Waller-Bridge, the creator of the hugely successful theatre piece and TV show Fleabag, endorsed Shedding a Skin.

Both started as one woman shows and there are many similarities between the two central characters. Likeable if accident-prone individuals determined not to become one of life’s victims. Or at least – not to do so quietly.

Amanda Wilkin is very much an ‘angry young woman.’ Soho Theatre describes her as “a fresh and fierce new voice.”

What gives her energetic monologue an added twist is that she narrates her character Myah’s story very much through a racial lens. Myah is black, or rather mixed race (she worries about “feeling white”) and begins the show by telling us about an incident of discrimination.

She is taken away from her desk at the office one day to take part in a photograph with other black employees – all three of them. To her horror she finds that the black cleaner in the office has been dressed up in a suit – all part of “diversity washing.”

With her anger rising, she punches the organiser in the face and scrawls “Fake (expletive)” on the office wall. Only to then be told by the cleaner himself that he “had asked to be included in the photograph” (and presumably himself chosen to wear the suit).

This incident results in her losing her job (though avoiding being charged with assault). It also leads to her splitting up from her boyfriend when he dares to say, “violence is never an answer, babe.”

Because for Myah this is not a debateable point. She leaves him, and in so doing becomes homeless.

The nub of the story concerns Myah’s resulting experiences renting a room at “Mrs T’s.” A likeable older black woman of Caribbean heritage, who turns out to be the ‘angry old woman’ Myah has always wanted to meet.

On nights in, they sit together shouting at the television screen.

At one point, when “three posh boys,” who somehow find themselves in the neighbourhood, pick on a homeless person Mrs T swings her handbag (a homage to that other Mrs T?) and knocks them each out in turn. Myah approvingly wonders if she had a brick in it. Mrs T finishes by jumping up on one boy’s chest.

Amanda Wilkin describes her piece as “a play about finding out what our elders can teach us.”

Certainly, Mrs T’s finger wagging about the younger generation hits home. Why would Myah rather sulk in her room than go to the pub? And she says she cares about people, but doesn’t know the name of the black kid killed on the street last week.

Fortunately, all of this comes with the performer’s determination for us all to have “a good belly laugh.” And the team of female creatives (including director Elayce Ismail and Ameena Hamid, the youngest producer in the West End) have pulled off a well-executed production.

The set is very clever, gradually ‘unfolding’ and opening up to reveal more, rather like Myah herself. The intermezzo digital graphics by Nina Dunn are very good and help to break up the show.

Overall, Amanda Wilkin clearly gives voice to the tensions inherent in our society at present, and points to a need for greater inter-generational dialogue. It will be interesting to see where she goes next.

The show will live-streamed on July 15. For more details visit https://sohotheatre.com/shows/shedding-a-skin/.

Pictured top: Amanda Wilkin in Shedding a Skin (credit: Helen Murray)