A tender, humorous exploration of the in-betweenness of home.
If I Were To Say It In English is a collection of vignettes blending humour, tenderness, shared exploration and sharp observations, performed in both Romanian and English by poet and theatre-maker Thea Lungu, who also created the show. Through their witty commentary and keen observations, Lungu offers an intimate account of the in-betweenness of the diasporic experience: of being unable to turn away from the cruelty inflicted upon the people of one’s homeland, while navigating the difficulty of translating one’s experiences across languages to those in one’s adopted home.
Lungu is a powerful poet. The spoken-word vignettes allow their talent for writing and creative imagination to shine through. There are passages in which the feeling of belonging is gently unpacked through sensory language and vivid imagery. Others are charged with sharp observations, carried by the pulsing rhythms of language. The exploration of how we carry and hold meaning and emotion in our bodies is another compelling moment shared with the audience. The discussion of colloquial language and its physical embodiment creates a sense of collective recognition that breaks the line between performer and audience, and across cultures.
There is a great generosity to the offering. The use of different languages is central to this invitation, although its dramaturgical function could be explored further. At certain moments, the differences between languages and their effects on the speaker are explicitly articulated. At others, the language switches without translation or further explanation, leaving the audience to wonder about the intention behind such shifts. These moments create interesting contradictions. They allow the audience to witness the performer’s emotions while remaining uncertain about the meaning of the words themselves. Such a choice is dramaturgically understandable: the inability to translate one’s experiences to others reflects how certain moments of joy or sadness can only be fully understood by oneself. Yet, without sufficient contextual framing, these moments of linguistic switching risk leaving the audience confused.
Lungu’s performance in the spoken-word vignettes is powerfully embodied. However, they are comparatively less convincing in scenes that lean towards conventional monologues rather than poetry. The performance could benefit from greater precision in rhythm and a stronger sense of spontaneity. The performance space also feels underutilised. The use of objects is economical, yet at times lacking dramaturgical implications. The video design does a lovely job of supporting the storytelling, yet there is a great potential to develop a stronger relationship between the performer, the objects and the space, making the experience more immersive and gripping for the audience.
If I Were To Say It In English shows great promise in Lungu as a writer and theatre-maker. The work offers a generous and thoughtful exploration of language, belonging and the limits of translation, and has just finished its run in the Davey Studio at the Roundhouse.