With many funny gags, original songs and breaking of the fourth wall, the audience never felt left out
Nkenna Akunna’s Cheeky Little Brown at The Lowry was an entertaining and engaging one-woman musical show, 90 minutes, following the story of Lady, performed by Tiajna Amayo, who is struggling to connect with her best friend turned lover, “Gemma”, who she hasn’t spoken to in 6 months. Cheeky Little Brown is a story of queerness, coming-of-age, and heartbreak.
The staging was pretty basic, consisting of just a table that later turned into a headboard, a box, and a banner made of balloons that read ‘birthday gurrrl’, the letters of which were moved around throughout the show, forming different words which distinguished the different scenes as Amayo moved around the stage. As soon as you entered the theatre space, you felt as if you were instantly transported into Gemma’s party, making the audience feel like guests. Lady is upset by how much Gemma’s life has changed since she last saw her, a tension which is explored between the characters as the party progresses, explored through songs and music. What stood out was when Lady started singing about her love for Doner , and how Doner will never leave her which is a play on words for a lover, as she is still trying to explore her queerness and sexuality after these 6 months away from Gemma.
The way in which the full details of the friendship and the fight were withheld from us until the end of the play was effective, and kept us wondering and imagining as to why it had been so long since they last spoke. The interpretive dance in one of the final scenes was slightly confusing and felt out of place, however I really enjoyed Nkenna Akunna’s Cheeky Little Brown and would recommend it to all!