In a wonderful production for the Royal Shakespeare Company, its new Artistic Director Gregory Doran sets Julius Caesar in Africa using an all black cast of Britain's finest actors. Somehow the rhythm of Shakespearean verse and the clarity of the African pronunciation, along with the political theme of power politics and regime change, work well in the new setting.
The Westbridge was written before the riots in August and is almost prophetic. Miss De-lahay�s unproduced play was already a joint winner of the 2010 Alfred Fagon Award for playwrights of African and Caribbean descent, together with Roy Williams� Sucker Punch. It is a startling new piece, given an exciting production by director Clint Dyer and designer Ultz.
Roy Williams' plays can be enjoyed at many levels and so it is with his latest and original offering at the Royal Court, Sucker Punch which follows a group of young boxers in a club in a run down area of London in the 1980s. Besides the sports story which culminates in a boxing match being excitingly staged in a real ring, there are observations about race and friendship and about racism and sport.