Review: TYPICAL, Soho Theatre (Online)

Photo credit: Franklyn Rogers

Richard Blackwood reprises his role in one-man play Typical, this time brought to us in the comfort of our own living rooms. First staged in 2019, the solo show is written by Ryan Calais Cameron with subtle direction by Anastasia Osei-Kuffour and tells the true and tragic story of Christopher Alder. 

Alder lost his life on a fateful night in 1998 due to brutality and racism. He was a patriotic man who had two sons that he loved deeply, and an ex-wife. He was an ex-paratrooper who had served in the British Army during the Falkland’s War and now resided in Kingston-Upon-Hull. 

 We meet Alder, portrayed by Blackwood, as he is getting ready for a big night out. He is getting himself psyched up and is portrayed as charismatic and the life and soul of the party. His friend’s, one by one, bail on him but as he is still ready for the night out ahead, manages to convince two others to meet him and they head to a night club.

Blackwood delights in these opening scenes. He is entertaining, funny and pulls off the charismatic qualities of the character with ease.

Alder’s friends go home early, leaving him to complete the night by himself. It is here that we see racist incidences starting to build; a bouncer prioritises white men with club entry and a women wonders what it would be like to be with “people like you”. These are examples of micro-aggression but they soon turn much more violent. 

A group of three white men decide to goad him and whilst all of this is happening, we hear an internal monologue from Blackwood which, like the entirety of his performance, is poetic and rhythmic, making the audience feel like the set is occupied by more than one character. 

The three men attack Alder, leaving him with a serious head injury. He goes to hospital where assumptions are made about how he became wounded and he becomes justifiably agitated by his treatment, which ultimately leads to him being taken into police custody. 

Once there, Blackwood’s performance reaches its peak as we see Alder die at the hands of systematic racism. It is an all too heartbreaking, real performance and everything about this production is outstanding. How it is written and the way that the lighting and sound is used to switch the simple set between bedroom, nightclub, hospital and police station is cleverly done.

The performance lays bare some uncomfortable truths for viewers and includes harrowing details which surrounded Alder’s death, including police footage that suggest officers made monkey noises whilst he lay dying, and the all too familiar refrain “I can’t breathe”. At the end of the piece, there is a touching tribute to Alder and a list of names are shown for all of those who have died in police custody in the UK due to systematic racism.

Whilst the ending is a tough but truthful watch, the piece still manages to portray humour and zest with snappy monologues and heart felt emotion. It truly excels as piece of theatre and highlights what still needs to be done to end racism. 

***** Five stars

Reviewed by: Emma Littler

Typical is available online until 31 March here and is more than worth the £7.99 viewing fee.