In a swirling, anarchic fantasy, Chino Igwe must find a way to protect his beloved neighbourhood from an encroaching, engrossing, sinister monster
It’s summertime in London, and Deptford High Street is pumping. A DJ is (literally) playing some delectable tunes, and Chino Igwe is feeling good; he’s completed his thesis and enjoying the stroll to Goldsmiths University, where he soon shall submit it. Chino was born and raised in Deptford. He loves his community deeply, and clings to its familiarity. He speaks with tender affection about the neighbourhood’s residents, shops, quirks, and characters alike. He’s 39. He lives at home. He is perhaps a little bit stuck. He has expansive dreams – he yearns to be a renowned novelist.
Suddenly, the ground begins shaking. The buildings quiver, the residents look around in terror. A flood engulfs Deptford. Chino watches his thesis float away, his neighbours swimming for their lives. Chaos reigns as Chino swims, baffled by the sudden onset of this insane natural phenomenon. Little do we, the audience, know, this is only the beginning of an epic adventure. A truly gargantuan tale about community, love, and the fight against the menacing threat that is gentrification, writer and actor Chukwudi Onwere challenges the audience’s imagination by taking us on an extraordinary quest.
Written and performed by Chuwudi Onwere and featuring DJ Tommy Tappah, Onwere’s exquisitely descriptive language and spirited performance aids us in creating a total picture of the wild scenes to come. Supported by subtle light changes and a carefully crafted soundscape, the real work is being done by Onwere’s words and performance. High paced, impressively physical with humorous collaboration with DJ Tommy Tappah, Deptford Baby crafted a whole new universe for the audience to delve into.
Onwere’s writing is artful and creative, allowing space for both wild fantasy as well as particular use of iconography to clearly stipulate what exactly is being inferred by the show’s plot. A hero’s tale unlike any other, Onwere kept the audience’s energy and spirits up, even in the face of his character’s circumstances.
Deptford Baby was most certainly a puzzling piece for a director to take on. Marley-Rose Liburd, however, rose to the challenge. Liburd gave way for the illustrious and uncanny imagery crafted by Chukwudi Onwere’s writing, allowing the language to carry us, while also making clever use of space to move us through the experience in a way that felt understandable. Liburd ensured we did not get lost in space and time. No matter how far the fantasy wandered, the Liburd’s direction enabled the audience to always find their feet.
Deptford Baby is on at Jack Studio Theatre until 3 August 2024.