A thrilling exploration of heritage and legacy
Quoted as being ‘the godmother of black British playwrights’, Winsome Pinnock has created a name for herself amongst the greats. Her latest work The Authenticator explores the question of legacy and heritage, particularly in regards to the slave trade. How should one atone for the actions of their ancestors? Is a simple apology enough?
Historians Abi (Rakie Ayola) and Marva (Cherrelle Skeete), arrive to view and later authenticate the diaries of a slave-owning ancestor of the new lady of the house Fen (Sylvestra Le Touzel). Discovering an unexpected connection to the stately home and the family it belongs to, Marva goes to extremes to discover what she believes to be the truth.
A tight 90 minutes, this story takes place in various rooms of the fictional Harford House, with a minimal but effective set design by Jon Baylor, which includes pop-up steps descending into the aptly named ‘dungeon’. Set in the traverse, director Miranda Cromwell creates a unique staging, with a myriad of unique entrances and exits to punctuate the short, emotionally-charged scenes.
This story is told with considerable lightness, although there is also a strong educational tone. The audience learns much about the history of enslavers and both the legacy they create, and the lives they choose to erase. At times the jokes come thick and fast and although they’re delivered from obvious set ups, they still hit the mark.
Ayola plays Abi as one of the women who paved the way, who has experienced the hardships of being the only woman in the room, while Skeete is a precocious Marva who knows she’s allowed to take up space. And while Ayola and Skeete form a touching duo, it is Le Touzel’s Fen who steals every scene. The bumbling aristocrat desperate to claim her victimhood, she plays the insidious fool to utter perfection.
Despite the frequent injections of humour, Pinnock still manages to keep the audience on edge, assisted by the spooky sound design of Tingying Dong. With a mysterious through line making the authentication more personal than clinical, there are some seriously spine-tingling moments.
Combining educational content with emotional investment, Pinnock keeps the whole play light and quick to absorb. This does prevent it from becoming too hard-hitting, but makes the important subject matter easier to digest and likely increases the commercial appeal. Like Fen learns, it’s never too late to acknowledge the past and make reparations to those it erased.
The Authenticator plays at the Dorfman Theatre until May 9, 2026. Tickets here.