Image credit: Manuel Harlan
★★★
What is it about a living room that lends itself so well to theatrical drama? From Abigail’s Party to Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, we’ve always found a way to derive conflict from the single setting. Whether the action carries out in real time across the duration of a party that rarely ends well, or across a sequence of days, there’s something about the recognisability of a living room, and it’s a helpful place to confine the characters to see their true selves emerge. We all have one or we’ve all been in one – the families depicted within it could well be ours.
My Father’s Fable, from writer-actor Faith Omole, feels like a welcome addition to that pantheon. Omole both adapts the well-trodden Ibsen-esque tradition and dextrously modernises it. In this play, following her father’s death, twenty-something Londoner Peace discovers she has a half-brother named Bolu living in Nigeria. Fuelled by a desire for answers about her past, she invites him to England, ignoring the concerns of her doting boyfriend Roy and manipulative mother Favour. From thereon, the stage is set for tricky confrontations as this extended family grapples with their grief and sense of identity in equal measure.
Two siblings being raised in different cultures is always meaty fare for comedy-drama. Omole uses this premise to explore themes of cultural resonance, nature and nurture, whilst also finding the funny in the setup. Scenes of Peace trying to live up to her Nigerian roots to impress her brother derive laughs from the get-go, as she struggles to make jollof rice – “it’s like what jollof rice can be but, like, mushier?” – learnt not from a family recipe but from TikTok. In turn, upon arrival, Bolu abjectly rejects her very English offer of a cup of tea by saying “I’m not a fan of it.” There’s humour in this dynamic but poignancy too – in navigating their newfound relationship, Peace and Bolu have a chemistry that’s sweet and endearingly handled, discovering both what makes them different and their shared similarities. Mining the depths of this connection is where the play is at its strongest.
The play is backed by good actors in Tiwa Lade and Theo Ogundipe. Adding Gabriel Akuwudike as Roy to the mix is similarly impactful, and as a four-hander with Rakie Ayola’s Favour, we’re treated to some particularly amusing and intense dramatic scenes. An example of this is Peace’s exchange with a student determined to hold her to account for avoiding giving a realistic account of the British Empire, and the family’s varied reactions to her response.
The character of Favour is more confusing. She’s played brilliantly by the dependably good Ayola, but deciphering her purpose here is tricky. Initially, she’s introduced as a comic relief character, a busybody mother, her dialogue packed with comic relief. Presenting her in this way, however, feels like a misstep since it prevents us taking her seriously, particularly when the play delves into more intense territory and the character’s arc requires it. Favour’s actions, both past and present, play a key role in defining Peace’s story, so having us assume she’s there for laughs alone leaves us sidetracked. As the story reaches its apex, we’re given a plot twist ending where we drift into more soap opera territory that I couldn’t help but feel the play might be more effective without.
These elements aside, My Father’s Fable is well-crafted and thought-provoking, and whilst in need of a little fine-tuning, manages to mine the comedy from every situation it conjures up. I can’t remember seeing an audience enjoying themselves this much in ages. Howls of laughter abound throughout, the thigh-slapping kind. The standing ovation speaks volumes.
My Father’s Fable is currently showing at the Bush Theatre.
Words by James Morton
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