★★★★✰
It’s a situation many of us will find familiar. A group of friends meet up for a few drinks. One bottle of wine becomes two, two becomes three and wine eventually turns to spirits. Fully inebriated, you decide to partake in some paraphernalia, and the popular “Never Have I Ever” gets underway. Before long, some of the deepest and most guarded secrets are brought to the table and friendships can be put to the ultimate test.
Add bankruptcy, revenge, and opposing political views into the mix and it’s a recipe for a tense and fractious evening with years of pent-up anger and frustration ready to boil over at any point. Deborah Frances-White’s play Never Have I Ever serves up a steaming pot of cultural conflict, offering a provocative exploration of identity politics, social activism, fidelity, and friendship.
As our play begins we’re introduced to young restaurant owners Jacq (Alexandra Roach) and Kas (Amit Shah), who are about to declare themselves bankrupt. They are particularly anxious about breaking the news to their financial backer Tobin (Greg Wise), the older husband of their university friend Adaego (Susan Wokoma) as they gather for a dinner party. Surprisingly, Tobin takes the news well and it isn’t long before they regress to the wild drunken revelry of their university life. As our eponymous game gets underway, a jaw-dropping secret is eventually unveiled, causing ruptures within the group.
Each character has a distinct position: Jacq is a bisexual working-class woman who grew up in poverty, Adaego is a black upper-class journalist and forthright activist, Tobin feels constantly belittled for being a “straight white male” despite his overbearing self-righteousness, and Kas is a slightly reserved Asian middle-class man who simply wants to keep the peace. A light-hearted game turns into a fiery culture war, with repressed emotions spilling over that force the group to face some hard-hitting home truths.
There is a natural chemistry among the cast. Dialogue between them flows seamlessly, creating an authentic friendship dynamic. Watching them dance on the tables in a drunken stupor, with the foreboding ‘Toxic’ playing in the background, is a particularly fun scene with each actor having a vibrant and engaging stage presence. Yet as we begin to take a shine to this eclectic group, the friendship starts to disintegrate. That sharp contrast between light-hearted frolics to heart-breaking expressions of resentment leaves us with a tinge of sorrow, reinforcing the serious rifts that political, social, and ideological differences can cause.
Frances-White utilises the revealing, and at times discomforting, nature of “Never Have I Ever” to create a frank and open dissection of bigotry, racism, class, gender, politics, and identity. She powerfully navigates these themes in fierce arguments, accumulating in admissions of vulnerability. A particularly powerful scene is when Adaego relates how she is afraid to speak up against racism for fear of being stereotyped as the “angry black woman.” At the end of her speech, she stares at her husband and says: “you could have stood up for me when I couldn’t get angry.”
While some of the monologues venture off into preachy territory, the cast give passionate performances, delivering scabrous lines with intensity yet also adding great humanity to their characters. Even though Wise’s character becomes the villain of the piece, his earnest performance means we can’t help but pity him at times.
All cards on the table, this play is a blazing exploration of political and social tensions which combined with top-notch comedy makes this a stimulating yet equally enjoyable night’s entertainment.
Never Have I Ever will be performed at Chichester Festival Theatre until 30 September.
Words by Katie Heyes
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