Review: BIRDS AND BEES, Tanya Moiseiwitsch Playhouse, Sheffield
Photo credit: Chris Saunders
Birds and Bees, written by Charlie Josephine, focuses on four teenagers who find themselves caught in the aftermath of a sexting incident in their year group at school. The play tackles many highly relevant and timely issues including class, race and gender, as well as the issues with patriarchal, heteronormative education system of the UK.
Josephine’s script is well paced and takes the audience on a rollercoaster ride of emotions, with plenty of laughs scattered amongst moments that get intense and heated. Rob Watt directs the production and for the most part, he does a great job at keeping the pace and energy up. However, at times, the production leans a little too far into the abstract making it difficult to grip onto the concept that the team have aimed for with the show. Bethany Wells’ necessarily simple set design (so it can easily visit schools) is very generic and doesn’t help to ground the piece in a specific location. Her costumes, however, are vibrant, colourful and realistic, helping to bring to life Josephine’s expertly written complex characters.
The cast of four perform this piece very well. Sandra Belarbi plays Maisy, the middle-class girl, the prefect who never does anything wrong. Despite how easy it would be to make this character a stereotype, Belarbi never does and portrays someone who could very easily have been in your class at secondary school.
Richard Logun and Dumile Sibanda have great chemistry as Aarron and Leilah. They make a very believable teenaged couple in a somewhat rocky relationship as they discover more about themselves and the world around them. Logun delivers an excellent rap at the moments he lays his truth out on the table, whilst Sibanda gives a passionate performance. Her monologue as she speaks her truth doesn’t quite fall into the spoken word category and it feels as though it should. She also gets to demonstrate her excellent comic timing throughout the show.
Milo McCarthy completes the cast as Billy. They are fantastic and bring an air of mystery to the show, especially early on, but this never particularly pays off. The moment they completely break down after coming across as strong and confident throughout the play is performed fantastically. They are very much the glue that holds the narrative together and are definitely one to watch in the future.
Whilst Birds and Bees has room for improvement and could pack even more punch, it does address all the issues it sets out really well. It never dwells anywhere for too long, whilst none of the important issues feel rushed over. This is a production that will speak very clearly to the young people who watch it, whilst also posing a challenge to the older members of the audience who have a role to play in making the world a better place.
*** Three stars
Reviewed by: Jacob Bush
Birds and Bees plays in Sheffield until 11 February before visiting Scarborough and Plymouth. For more information, please click here.