I’d never been to the Pit at the Barbican before, so I had no idea what to expect. It’s a small and intimate theatre space literally tucked into the Pit of the Barbican. The darkness of the space and the live musicians warming up on stage created an eerie atmosphere before the performance had even begun.
Written and directed by TD Moyo and composed by Renell Shaw, Our Eyes Looking for God tells the story of cousins Adjani (Gamba Cole) and Kamal (Themba Mvula), two young men from Liverpool whose lives are about to take very different paths. Adjani dreams of moving to London to pursue music, whilst Kamal is focused on simply surviving each day. Before Adjani leaves, the cousins decide to spend one last night together, driving around Liverpool, listening to music, having fun and opening up to each other.
What starts as a beautiful and tender look at their relationship soon takes a devastating turn when they are stopped by the police. What follows is a heartbreaking story of racial violence and police brutality, showing how quickly an ordinary night between two young men can turn into tragedy.
I really enjoyed the relationship between Adjani and Kamal. Gamba Cole and Themba Mvula acted their hearts out and had such a believable connection. You could genuinely see that these were two cousins who had grown up together, loved each other deeply and wanted the best for one another, whilst also carrying their own frustrations and fears.
I also enjoyed the three dancers who played the Caspers. They worked almost like a chorus, becoming memories, thoughts and different characters throughout the story. At times they became the police, whilst at other moments they moved, danced, sang and rapped around Adjani and Kamal. They added another layer to the piece and helped bring their memories and experiences to life.
One unique elements was the use of music. Themba, an opera singer, delivered much of Kamal’s dialogue through opera, whilst Gamba delivered Adjani’s words through rap. It was something I hadn’t seen before in theatre. The live musicians also added another layer to the production.
However, I did sometimes find the combination of opera, rap, music and movement overwhelming. At times the volume made it difficult to hear the dialogue and I found myself focusing more on the different elements happening around me than the story itself. For me, there was so much power in the central relationship and storyline that I would have preferred some of these elements to be stripped back.
What stayed with me was the contrast between the first and second half. We are given the time to see Adjani and Kamal simply being young men. They laugh, argue, dream, love and enjoy each other’s company. That makes the tragedy that follows even more painful because we understand exactly what has been lost.
The programme describes the piece as being about Black boys “in their fullness and glory”, and I think that is exactly what the first half allows us to see. This is ultimately a story about love, family, friendship and the lives we build with one another, before tragedy suddenly interrupts them.
TD Moyo’s personal note about writing the piece through the grief of losing her brother also gave me a much deeper understanding of the production. Reading her words after watching the play helped me understand the choices behind the piece and appreciate why the first half is so important. We need to know who Adjani and Kamal are before we can truly understand what is lost.
Our Eyes Looking for God is a powerful and heartbreaking story. Whilst I think the musical elements could be refined and stripped back in places, the performances from Gamba Cole and Themba Mvula are a real highlight.
NEED TO KNOW: Our Eyes Looking for God played at The Barbican from 9-13 Sep. Find out more.
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