The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Tribeca
      • Sundance London
      • Cannes
      • Locarno
      • Venice
      • London
      • Toronto
    • Show reviews
  • Music
    • Live music
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Literature
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join us
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

CultureTheatre

Messiah at Stratford Circus Arts Centre

Messiah at Stratford Circus Arts Centre | Theatre review
29 November 2019
Mersa Auda
Avatar
Mersa Auda
29 November 2019

Messiah is Bear Trap Theatre’s tribute to Fred Hampton, the 21-year-old political activist and Black Panther Party member who was assassinated by the hands of Chicago Police during a raid in his apartment, on 4th December 1969. Hampton made a big impact in the community with his social interventions and by inciting a revolution. The play aims to introduce this charismatic figure in a three-dimensional way and not merely focus on his assassination and political stand.

A cast of four move around a bare stage, marked only by lines of white tape stuck on the floor to delineate the borders of the rooms inside Fred’s apartment. A cross of red tape indicates the location where his body was found. Hampton is shown at home with his heavily pregnant girlfriend Deborah Johnson and the lively William O’Neal, head of Black Panther security. Scenes of family life surrounding the tragic central incident help define the characters and add another dynamic beside the social debate.

The piece goes on to recount the details of the assassination based on original reports and evidence. The events of that night are told from two different perspectives: that of the Panthers and that of a police sergeant who participated in the raid. In a fictional addition based on his speeches, Fred is given a chance to voice his views after his death and confront those who killed him.

Writers Paula B Stanic and Jesse Briton also make space for some humour, mostly expressed during a scene where Fred and Deborah act out a family sketch based on stereotypes, embodying the cliched traits and behaviours that some may attribute to them. The four actors deliver solid performances throughout and the fact that they devised the play during rehearsals, based on their thorough research of the subject, shows in the way they become one with their respective characters.

The play brings up a topic that is at the centre of many a current debate, namely race, but it doesn’t dig much deeper than merely stating the problem. The story is certainly worthy of being told, but in spite of all the strong elements that compose the production, the narrative somehow fails to be captivating, falling short of fulfilling its potential to stir emotions or add a fresh contribution to a hot topic.

★★★★★

Mersa Auda
Photos: Paul Blakemore

Messiah is at Stratford Circus Arts Centre from 27th November until 30th November 2019. For further information or to book visit the theatre’s website here.

Related Itemsreview

More in Theatre

Rita at Charing Cross Theatre

★★★★★
Mae Trumata
Read More

Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry

★★★★★
Ella Satin
Read More

Royal Ballet School students return to the stage for post-Covid performances

The editorial unit
Read More

“Theatre is totally unique… there’s simply nothing else quite like it”: An interview with Sir Howard Panter as the new cast of Jersey Boys opens at Trafalgar Theatre

Natallia Pearmain
Read More

Jersey Boys bring on a new cast at Trafalgar Theatre

Natallia Pearmain
Read More

All of Us at the National Theatre

★★★★★
Mersa Auda
Read More

Midsummer Mechanicals at Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

★★★★★
Alexandra Fletcher
Read More

Camden Fringe 2022: The Importance of Being Anxious at Museum of Comedy

★★★★★
James Humphrey
Read More

Camden Fringe 2022: Rome 3000 (Julius Caesar) at Canal Cafe Theatre

★★★★★
Cristiana Ferrauti
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Theatre review

Mersa Auda

Messiah

★★★★★

Dates

27th November - 30th November 2019

Price

£13-£15

Links & directions

TwitterInstagramFacebookWebsiteMap

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Eiffel
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Royal Ballet School students return to the stage for post-Covid performances
    Theatre
  • Tips for creating a peaceful home
    Feature of the week
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Ed Fringe 2022: Hungry
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • “Film offers a way of looking at the past, the present and the future simultaneously. That’s its wonder”: Sarah Beddington on Fadia’s Tree
    Cinema & Tv
  • Kasabian – The Alchemist’s Euphoria
    ★★★★★
    Album review
  • Rita at Charing Cross Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • “Even people who’ve been through adversity might say ‘Well, I wouldn’t change anything because I wouldn’t be who I am'”: Eva Noblezada and Flula Borg on Luck
    Cinema & Tv
  • Nope
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Five Days at Memorial
    ★★★★★
    apple
The Upcoming
Pages
  • Contact us
  • Join mailing list
  • Join us
  • Our London food map
  • Our writers
  • Support us
  • What, when, why
With the support from:
International driving license

Copyright © 2011-2020 FL Media

Liam Gallagher smashes his way into new heights at the O2 Arena | Live review
Måneskin interview: Moving to London, the new album, Simon Cowell, Harry Styles and British crowds