Danny Bailey’s debut play Pressure featured as part of Brixton House’s fourth edition of their Housemates Festival which celebrates new writing is an astute and thought-provoking watch sprinkled with humour and high vibrations.
Just Vibez were playing reggae tunes in the foyer, which set the tone for the show as the music fills the space as we take our seats.
Pressure starts with pulsating sounds reverberating under movement director Jade Hackett’s choreography with the cast performing Kumina rituals instantly evoking a sense of spirituality.
Ayanna Blair-Ford’s set design perfectly immerses the audience amidst foliage reminiscent of Caribbean life and the Blue Mountains of Jamaica intertwined through the huge sound system speakers depicting the outside world, nature or the family living room.
Music is a constant contributing factor to the show’s success through reggae, Dub and lovers rock basslines and vocals which provide the perfect backdrop to the themes of resistance, rebellion and revolution.
Precisely directed by Jade Lewis, Bailey’s play centres on a Jamaican family as the matriarch, Michelle Greenidge (Paulette) leads a powerhouse cast Tony Marshall (Michael) Natey Jones (Wyatt) Nicholle Cherrie (Judie) and Debra Baker (Mandy).
Brixton resident and barrel child Paulette is a no-nonsense, outspoken Jamaican woman who does not suffer fools or white women lightly and through Bailey’s rich and authentic script (‘frowsy’, ‘God-willing’ and ‘bumbaclart’) and the use of patois that soothes and provides humour – with on point relatable mannerisms and facial expressions Michelle Greenidge fully embodies the role. Body language speak volumes long before words are spoken.
Once you settle into the back and forth of the play as it flits from Jamaica to London and though different eras, hallucinations and communicating with the ancestors the storytelling and historical references bring Black British experiences to light. And in turn to, younger audiences who might not be familiar with some of these facts. Such as lest we forget ‘13 ah we pickney dead and nuttin’ said’ – the young black lives lost in the New Cross Fire (1981), the Brixton riots, Tottenham Uprising as the result of Mark Duggan’s death, protests and the call to ‘bun babylon’ in response to ongoing rising racial tension.
An integral part of the story is told through Tony Marshall’s dual characters – Daniel and Michael. There are number of intense themes running throughout the play including generational trauma; racism, women’s health and inequality. However, black men’s mental health and the dehumanisation of black men is explored with depth as we see the impact racism has had on the characters over the years. Flashbacks to when black children were classed as ‘subnormal’ by the educational system, the fetishisation of black men and assumptions around why some become absent fathers when in some cases the ‘system’ has failed both black men and women and continues to do so.
Nicholle Cherrie’s dual characters – young Paulette and Judie represent much of the fight and resistance of the play as she navigates moving away from compliance and much to Paulette’s bewilderment embraces community work, activism and the liberation of black people.
During the post-show Q&A with the cast and creatives – writer Danny Bailey shared that Pressure is inspired by classic black British films Burning an Illusion by the late Menelik Shabazz and Pressure by the late Horace Ove – it does well in keeping these historical events relevant and at the forefront of our minds. As someone who knew Menelik well and worked closely with him for years, I believe in my heart that he would have had a lot of respect for this production.
This play is political. It’s emotional. It’s necessary. We hope that we get another iteration of Danny Bailey’s Pressure for it provides spiritual enlightment, a balm for the soul and unlocks important aspects of black British history that should remain forever in our hearts.
NEED TO KNOW:
- Pressure by Danny Bailey is at Brixton House until 12 Sep 2026
- The final show in this season of Housemates is Runner Girl (15-19 Sep)
