REVIEW: THE LAMB DISAGREES by Eratle Wang at Barons Court Theatre 28 Nov – 2 Dec 2023

“taps into current concerns around cultural appropriation, ownership and authenticity” ★★★

Smoky jazz greets audiences for Eratle Wang’s debut play in the cave-like Barons Court Theatre. There’s a distinctly, Chandleresque vibe as an old fashioned clackety-clack typewriter sits on a desk with the requisite wastepaper basket full of rolled up balls of paper. This is the room of a writer, probably male and the evidence suggests, it’s a crime writer with a penchant for retro technology. Perhaps, he’s a bit retro himself?

Our protagonist, Willow, a UK-based, young Chinese woman is on a call with her mum back home. There are no subtitles but it’s clear from her reactions, she’s hearing a familiar litany about finding a nice young man to look after her in the deadly, dangerous place she lives called London. But Willow already has a boyfriend. The bad news is, she’s discovered he’s married. Worse still, his wife has just been murdered and Willow is suspect No 1.

If this plot sounds clunky, formulaic and too neat, that’s because it comes from the limited and commercial imagination of the best-selling (white, male) crime novelist whose stock in trade is cliché and stereotype. With a pushy agent on his back, he’s keen to show his zeitgeisty credentials and when he jumps on the multi-cultural bandwagon enlisting a female Chinese immigrant as a main character, Willow literally lifts out the pages to confront the author about his sloppy research and misinformed representations.

 

The Lamb Disagrees is a terrific premise for a story that taps into current concerns around cultural appropriation, the ‘ownership’ of narratives and questions around authenticity. Conflict is played out between the character and her creator with a narrative that moves between the real and imagined (with copious use of dry ice for the latter). It’s a revenge story of sorts, but one that takes place in a cultural and intellectual space that uses provocation, argument and challenge rather than violent retribution.

The winner of the 2023 Vault Festival Origins Award, The Lamb Disagrees has been developed further by Barons Court Artistic Director, Sharon Willems with a greater reflection of real-world issues. The sound and lighting effects work well to convey the different worlds and audiences will experience both the satisfaction of a feisty female lead and an unexpected reversal.

There is much potential here, but at only forty minutes long, it falls and feels too short which suggests more space and story are needed for this play to grow to the stature it demands. The too-quick reveal and sudden ending leave you wanting more (surely a good sign) That said, it’s great to see Barons Court Theatre fulfilling their remit of global stories from under-represented backgrounds and offering a conceptually fresh proposition to pub theatre audiences.

THE LAMB DISAGREES by Eratle Wang at Barons Court Theatre 28 Nov – 2 Dec 2023

Box Office: https://www.baronscourttheatre.com/the-lamb-disagrees-by-eratle-wang

Presented by Kibo Productions

Directed by Sharon Willems

Reviewed by Nilgin Yusuf