REVIEW: THE TRIAL OF JEMMY BUTTON by Luis Gayol at Calder Bookshop and Theatre, 16 February - 9 March, 2024

‘brings a multi-faceted lens to the time period and the people involved’ ★★★★

Walking to the back of the small bookshop into a hidden theatre, not far from some of the biggest names in London Theatre, I wasn’t sure what to expect. With just over 30 seats, this special little place punches above its weight, to bring to life a story that intrigues, confounds, and haunts. It even educates: Theatre for Identity (T4I) clearly has a mission, to help us understand the complexities of what happens when cultures clash.

Some stories are a confluence of paths crossed. The Trial of Jemmy Button is one such tale, bringing Victorian English history together with the uncharted areas of South America, Charles Darwin with the quest to understand the tribespeople of Tierra del Fuego.

A 5-person, multi-role cast takes us through the tale, part history lecture, part storytelling, and part puzzle. The first thing encountered is the beautiful narration by Stephanie Ellyne (who is the Audible reader of Booker Prize-shortlisted Ducks, Newburyport, at 45 hours likely one of the longest books in that library; I could listen to her voice for that long). Simple animated projections of a map of the locations travelled by the Beagle (yes, that one, made famous by later writings of a certain Charles Darwin) enhance our knowledge. Using quotes from primary sources, from Darwin’s journals and published works to Captain FitzRoy’s musings, the central figure of Jemmy Button (Fahad Salman) brings a multi-faceted lens to the time period and the people involved. As Ellyne begins the narration, she talks of Perspective, and the cast do an impressive job of showing different perspectives in the well-paced 75-minute show.

Jemmy Button, taken from his family and paid for by a pearl button (thus his English name), is an intriguing figure. He was only 14 when taken hostage, an impressionable age, taken to England and taught to speak English and to learn the Bible. When he returned two years later to his homeland, he was unable to connect with his own mother, but eventually adapted enough to start a family. But his involvement with British colonialism doesn’t end there, and as the Beagle returns, an atrocious murder of a group of missionaries puts him at the centre of a now centuries-long mystery, and he faces the famous trial.

The simple but effective staging (Marcio Andrey Santarosa), soft lighting, and evocative music (Lee Sloan) really work in this piece. The talented cast work hard in a tight space to move us through history and various locations, with ship travel, illness, hostages, murders, and suicide; and they do it almost seamlessly, with only a little confusion towards the end, about various locations involved in the trial scene.  Thank goodness for the map at the beginning!

THE TRIAL OF JEMMY BUTTON

The Calder Bookshop & Theatre

51 The Cut, London, SE1 8LF

www.calderbookshop.com

Opposite The Young Vic.

Nearest Tube: Southwark & Waterloo

Box Office: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-trial-of-jemmy-button-tickets-662381459777

Written by Luis Gayol

Performed by Stephanie Ellyne, Fahad Salman, Mark Share, John Terence, Sabina Westrup

Directed by Luis Gayol

Set design: Marcio Andrey Santarosa

Costume design: Jenny Hobson

Music: Lee Sloan

Graphics: Lukas Rimkus

Reviewed by Mariam Mathew