My Father's Fable: 'gripping' family drama that 'keeps you guessing' to the end
Faith Omole's debut play explores complex relationships with 'flair'
The Bush Theatre has established itself as one of London's top venues for "gripping" family dramas, and its latest production is no exception. "My Father's Fable" delves into a complex set of family dynamics and a secret that has been carefully concealed between generations.
While it might not be as "polished" as some of the theatre's other offerings, said Isobel Lewis in Time Out, Faith Omole's debut play certainly "packs a punch".
Set in London, the action follows disillusioned history teacher Peace (Tiwa Lade) who is living with her adoring boyfriend Roy (Gabriel Akuwudike) and grieving the death of her father. When her estranged half-brother Bolu (Theo Ogundipe) comes to visit from Nigeria, she has many questions including, most important of all, why her father never told her about him. "What follows", said Anya Ryan in The Guardian, "is a slick, if slightly melodramatic, revelation of who this stranger actually is."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Directed by Rebekah Murrell and written by Olivier award-nominated actor Omole (best known for Channel 4's "We are Lady Parts"), the play explores complicated family relationships "with flair" and "keeps you guessing" right to the end.
Omole has a knack for "authentic and rich" dialogue with "deadpan humour", said Dave Fargnoli in The Stage. The interactions between characters are often "eliciting gasps" from the audience, and a "snarky one-liner" brings the house down".
Despite Peace's best efforts to create a "clean and ordered" place to live, "danger threatens": a gradually widening crack runs through the ceiling of her perfect home, hinting at her fractured identity.
XANA's "gorgeous" sound design, together with Simisola Majekodunmi's lighting, keeps the audience "held like the characters with one foot always in London and the other in Nigeria", said Charlotte Vickers in What's On Stage.
Rakie Ayola is a "first-class scene stealer" as Peace's "overbearing yet secretly paranoid" mother, Favour, who "worms her way" into her daughter's home in order to try and keep her away from her half-brother. As "hilarious" as she is "hateable", said Lewis in Time Out, her behaviour, it soon emerges, stems from her desire to hide a "dark family secret that threatens the sanctity of their entire family".
With so many plot threads "swirling around", the show is a bit slow to get going and the storylines can be "hard to keep track of". However, it starts to feel more "streamlined" in the second act and the "big twist" is genuinely surprising. "My Father's Fable" might not be the "perfect" production but Omole's script demonstrates her talent as a writer who "knows how to tell one hell of a story".
At Bush Theatre, London, until 27 July
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Irenie Forshaw is a features writer at The Week, covering arts, culture and travel. She began her career in journalism at Leeds University, where she wrote for the student newspaper, The Gryphon, before working at The Guardian and The New Statesman Group. Irenie then became a senior writer at Elite Traveler, where she oversaw The Experts column.
-
Puppet shows, pagodas and pho: a guide to Hanoi
The Week Recommends Vietnam's capital city blends the ancient with the new
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'There are benefits, but not acknowledging them would tell only half of the story'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What Trump's win could mean for Big Tech
Talking Points The tech industry is bracing itself for Trump's second administration
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
The rise of the celebrity chef tour
The Week Recommends Chefs and food writers are hosting sell-out live events around the world
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Juror #2: Clint Eastwood's 'cleverly constructed' courtroom drama is 'rock solid'
The Week Recommends Nicholas Hoult stars in 'morally complex' film about a juror on a high-profile murder case
By The Week UK Published
-
Explore a timeless corner of Spain by bike
The Week Recommends Take a 'dawdling route through the back-country' far from the tourism hotspots
By The Week UK Published
-
Movies to watch in November, including 'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II'
The Week Recommends A major musical adaptation, a Roman Empire sequel and a movie where Santa gets kidnapped
By Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, The Week US Published
-
Griddled salmon and vegetables with miso and melted butter recipe
The Week Recommends Hokkaido comfort food classic with a delicious twist
By The Week UK Published
-
Edmund de Waal on this year's Booker Prize shortlist
The Week Recommends The chair of judges details works by Rachel Kushner, Percival Everett and others
By The Week UK Published
-
Shattered: Hanif Kureishi's 'inspirational' memoir of accident that left him paralysed
The Week Recommends 'Exhilarating' book is composed of diary entries dictated to his son Carlo
By The Week UK Published
-
Small Things Like These: 'stylish' Irish drama 'casts a powerful spell'
The Week Recommends 'Stylish' drama starring Cillian Murphy as a devoted father
By The Week UK Published