2019 is shaping up to be the year of Nought and Crosses. Malorie Blackman’s enduringly popular series of young adult novels set in a dystopian, racially segregated Britain first appeared in 2001 and the fifth instalment is due out in the summer. Also out in the coming months is a major new BBC adaptation, but first up is this appealingly pacey stage version from Pilot Theatre.
Blackman’s skill lies in taking specifics, with strong echoes of apartheid-era South Africa and past decades in the American South, and blending them into a universal yet unique world. The Noughts, who are white, are second-class citizens to the ruling black Crosses; schools are segregated and opportunities for Noughts are scarce. Yet no self-respecting divide is complete without love across it and duly the from-childhood friendship between Sephy (Heather Agyepong), a Cross whose father is Home Secretary, and Callum (Billy Harris) blossoms further when the pair are teenagers.
Sabrina Mahfouz has come up with a vivid adaptation that packs in a lot over a quick-change series of short, sometimes too-short, scenes. Many of the many chapters of Blackman’s original are admittedly on the brief side, but it would be beneficial if things could sometimes be allowed to settle a little more on stage. Still, Esther Richardson’s production is slick and gripping, with its hard-working cast of eight, (given to occasional moments of over-broad acting) and versatile multi-functional set.
The Juliet-like Sephy spearheads the story and she’s engagingly portrayed by Agyepong as a young woman who is discovering that life might not be as, well, black and white as she has been led to believe. What is strongly established is the sadness that permeates the two central families; ‘It’s just chit-chat and shouting’ is Callum’s telling summation of his home life. It’s a pleasure to revisit Blackman’s powerful story once again.
Until May 4 (020 8534 0310, stratfordeast.com)
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