REVIEW: BURNT UP LOVE at Finborough Theatre, 29 Oct - 23 Nov 2024

Photos by Rio Redwood-Sawyerr

“A highly polished, uniquely produced and mesmerizingly acted piece” ★★★★ ½ 

Burn-Up love is the latest offering from established playwright Ché Walker, who returns to the Finborough for his seventh outing as Director. This gripping drama about the desire and pursuit of a deep thinking but troubled prisoner to find his estranged daughter he has not seen since she was a baby, has many of the qualities you would expect from someone whose work had recently found its way to Netflix. It’s a highly polished, uniquely produced and mesmerizingly acted piece that looks at the reintegration process of prisoners into society.

The play opens with Mac, played by Walker, lighting a variety of gothic candles on pedestals around the stage while some tense composition plays out. Mac then sits between the pedestals and delivers an endearing, yet poignant monologue about his time in prison and his attachment to a picture of his daughter which is his sole possession. The eerie ambience being created is rather fitting of the time of year it’s being opened with instant vibes that the story being told has far more sinister tones to come.

It’s not long before we are introduced to Scratch, Mac’s now-adult daughter, who has her own issues seemingly through the lack of moral and parental guidance. Her rebellious nature and initial inability to connect with others is temporarily eroded by her newfound relationship with JayJayJay, another troubled youth whose moral compass is perhaps not quite as broken as Scratch’s. The play then follows JayJayJay’s attempts to dig deeper into Scratch’s soul while the consequences of Scratch’s actions catch up with her.

All three characters are incredibly acted; Walker is captivating as Mac, giving the serial offender a reflective and understanding demeanour which allows you to forgive his past crimes and support him on his quest. Joanne Marie Mason provides layers of unhinged energy to Scratch which makes it difficult to take your eyes off her. Alice Walker’s Jay Jay Jay is beautifully pitched between the anarchic lifestyle she portrays and the logical manner of how she approaches it. As an ensemble they are terrific.

If there’s one thing that stands out instantly in the play, it’s the creativity of the production. The set design by Juliette Demoulin is simple, yet complex. The original music composition by Uchenna Ngwe and additional music by Sheila Atim plays like a film score, adding tension where necessary. Perhaps the most impressive feature is the lighting design by Juliette Demoulin which neglects the use of traditional theatre lighting in favour of the strategically lit candles and torchlight, emphasising the aforementioned horror elements.

As well as excelling as Mac, Walker’s talents are on full display as both writer and director. The script is delivered in a mixture of monologues and dialogues which integrate seamlessly, in part through the quality of the writing but also due to the slick direction and his skill in weaving the characters through the scenes. His ability to humanise the characters is quite an achievement given their unmasked flaws and allows us to root for their redemption despite their transgressions.

Although the characters feel grounded, the story itself leans ever so slightly to the improbable which regrettably detracts somewhat from the core messages of the play. There are still some meaningful conclusions, particularly with regards to Mac’s assimilation of events, but there’s a sense that the struggles of his reintegration with society could have been explored further as the play draws more to his two cohorts then to him for the most part. It’s a minor quibble but one that diminishes the ending marginally. 

Overall, Burnt-up Love is an extremely competent play, developed by a team of creatives at the top of their game. There is quality in every aspect and some of the unique elements in both the writing and production are great examples of how to make theatre entertaining. A highly recommended watch, bordering on exceptional.

Tickets: https://finboroughtheatre.co.uk/production/burnt-up-love/

Writer and Director: Ché Walker

Producer: Kit Thompson 

Set Designer: Juliette Demoulin

Choreographer: Billy Medlin

Music composed by Uchenna Ngwe, with additional music by Sheila Atim

Lighting Design by Juliette Demoulin

Cast

Scratch: Joanne Marie Mason

Jay Jay Jay: Alice Walker

Mac: Ché Walker