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The Review - THEATRE by NATALIE LI
Published: 24 May 2007

First in the trilogy is short of brotherly love

THE BROTHERS
Hackney Empire

RAPTUROUS applause from a vocal first night audience did little to lift my mixed feelings towards the first in a trilogy of new plays by comedienne Angie Le Mar. Predictable at every turn, the story follows the trials of three black Britons as they fight their way through the throes of failing and blossoming relationships.
Its appeal lies in the well-known faces of witty Richard Blackwood, playing Michael Simmons and the strong presence of Kelle Bryan (founder member of girl band Eternal) playing Brenda. Both entrances immediately enraptured the audience.
With solid performances all round, the cast received screeches of approval from the audience. The surprisingly close interaction between stage and audience served to highlight the uniqueness of this upbeat production and Angie Le Mar has certainly made a marked impression by successfully capturing the trials and tribulations faced by today’s young black generation.
However, one could not ignore what became a slightly flat script in the second half as lengthy scenes lost the punchy banter that made the first half sparkle.
The Brothers was originally brought to life as a radio play serialised on Angie Le Mar’s Choice FM show a few years back and perhaps would have been far more suited to this medium.
This production is a passable version of the former radio show, offering a harmless frittered evening watching a spirited cast conveying the lives between young twenty- and thirty-somethings on the road to discovery.
May 24 - 26
020 8985 2424

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