“Touring production crosses all the boxes with minimal noughts“
While many study Malorie Blackman’s Noughts & Crosses at GCSE, as was very evident by the average age in the crowd at Northern Stage, I explored the text in Year 8. I’m sure I didn’t grasp many of the themes at the time, but I’ve always remembered enjoying it very much.
The story, originally based on Romeo and Juliet, is set in a dystopian world grounded in racial division, revolving around Sephy, a cross, and Callum, a nought. Together since birth, they’ve fallen over time into a deep but conflicted love, pressured by the social structure they live in. We follow as they grow through seminal years and society around them descends into political violence.
It’s not the first time Sabrina Mahfouz’s adaptation has been brought to life by Pilot Theatre, and it’s clear why they have returned to the text. The piece is well-paced, with a story more relevant than ever in today’s political climate. This does only favours in keeping the audience intrigued, which aligns with gripping performances.
Brianna Douglas and Lewis Tidy fit well into the roles of Sephy and Callum, displaying both the younger and more mature alterations of their characters well. I enjoyed seeing them develop across the piece, growing together in such a turbulent world. A standout performance comes from Fintan Hayeck in his role as Jude, Callum’s brother. Hayeck has this role down to a tee, perfectly displaying Jude’s hot-headedness fuelled by the oppression he faces. In contrast, I felt at times Chris Jack’s Kamal fell shallow, lacking the sense of dominance the character demands. As a whole however, revolving around an ensemble is incredibly effective; the multi-role play is seamless. I particularly loved a scene near the end between Callum and a prison guard, played for just this one scene by Elexi Walker. Despite Walker’s regular appearance as Jasmine, Sephy’s troubled mother, her shift in accent and demeanour made her unrecognisable, a merit which can be said for all of the ensemble.
The production’s design must be credited. Entering the auditorium we see nought (get my pun) but a large red lighting fixture with an imposing nought and cross symbol. This sets the tone for both the world of the play and the setting we go on to see: a fold-out structure of red, somewhat translucent panels. Simple furniture, primarily tables and chairs creates environments, forming everything from bathroom cubicles to a courtroom. When moving furniture we are treated to some excellently choreographed movement sequences which harness scenes together and, to exemplify the bombing in Act One, are incredibly effective at illustrating moments harder to create more literally. Technical elements put on top were powerful – the use of projection aids in carrying the audience through key moments in the plot.
The story, naturally, involves mature themes and scenes, and these, when encountered, were handled well. Outside of such scenes however, primarily in Act One, moments occasionally fell flat and felt almost immature. It was as if the piece didn’t know what kind of audience it was targeting, starting with a tone as though it would welcome children and then shifting when almost hanging a man by the end of the act. I understand the characters are younger here, however this applied to the general methods of storytelling, not just Douglas and Tidy’s characterisation, which of course should be more immature. I found myself enjoying Act Two more – I felt it was successful in building tension where the first act failed to, allowing for a stronger emotional payoff by the climax. In reaching this climax though, the final scenes felt slightly rushed, not allowing time to explore the future impacts, particularly for Sephy.
The production is a largely successful adaptation, demonstrating an array of strong performances and excellent design. It is well worth a viewing, especially if you’ve got some strong opinions when looking at the news this year.
Noughts & Crosses runs at Northern Stage until Saturday 7th March, before heading on a UK tour throughout Spring. See dates here.