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| Claudine Mboligikpelani Nako as Little Bee (John Ulman) |
Little Bee
Book-It Repertory
Theatre
Through May 17
If you’re like me, you probably don’t know all that much
about Nigeria and the relationship with international oil conglomerates. The
attempt to control the valuable oil resources of Nigeria has created undeniable
danger for residents of areas on top of oil. Book-It Repertory Theatre’s latest
production is based on the fictionalized plight of one young teenager, but
there is no mistaking the desire for the novel writer, Chris Cleave, to help us
realize the truth of the Nigerian situation.
Little Bee is the
name of the play and the name of the main character, played with heartbreaking
simplicity and sagacity by Claudine Mboligikpelani
Nako. She begins a narration of her circumstances by first asking us to
agree with her that scars are beautiful. Scars prove you’ve survived. Many of
the stories Little Bee and other women have survived begin with the phrase, “And
then the men came…” This is both a wonderful moment and one that portends great
pain to come.
Little Bee has escaped from horrendous circumstances in
Nigeria, to land at the doorstep of a virtual stranger in London. Sarah (Sydney Andrews), a fashion magazine
editor, and Andrew (Eric Riedmann)
met Little Bee on a Nigerian beach. That moment, two years in the past, has
formed scars that haunt all its participants. If you have not read the book, it
would be churlish to give away the details.
Little Bee has risked her life over and over to reach
London, only to be caught up by immigration police and stuck inside a horrid
immigrant prison for two years. Once let go on a technicality, the only people
she knows in Britain are this young couple. So, she finds her way there, not
even knowing whether there will be a welcome from them.
Little Bee arrives at a time of crisis: Andrew has committed
suicide and Sarah is trying to cope with that and to care for her young son. Young
Jonah Kowal does a great job as the
boy who won’t take off his Batman suit. Little Bee immediately becomes useful
as the boy’s babysitter, so we know there is likely a new home for her in this
arrangement.
But the relationship between Sarah and Little Bee is the
glue that holds the story together as we get pieces of story over the course of
the evening. Some of the story is harrowing and extremely well-portrayed by a
fabulous ensemble cast directed by Myra
Platt, who also adapted the novel. In particular, Meiko Parton portrays a truly terrifying Nigerian gangster, along
with other roles.
The first act is the best of the journey, here, with the
second act getting a bit unrealistic, especially toward the end. But that
shortcoming is more the result of the novel’s shortcomings than the stage play’s.
Still, the two leads are entirely watchable and committed and do some of their
best work seen on stage to date.
This is an uncomfortable show, in some ways, but an
important and educating one. I highly recommend it! (However, it’s not for
younger children, due to the very adult violence. Perhaps teens over 13.)
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