Wedding Band

As I enter the auditorium, I am greeted with a stage set of wire fences, warm orange lighting and the sounds of beautiful singing. You can almost feel the South Carolina heat, it’s oppressive, a theme which carries throughout the play.

Written in 1962, set in 1918, this is a deep dark look at history, specifically Black history. This is the first time it is being staged in London and it feels perfectly timed. Set in a time where interracial relationships were illegal we meet Julia (Deborah Ayorinde) , a woman who has recently moved into a room in a housing complex run by landlady Fanny (Lachele Carl), a woman who believes she is upwardly mobile and esteemed within her race. We learn of Julia’s long term partner Herman (David Walmsley) who is a baker and is white which means their 10 year relationship has been a secret from everyone in their lives. That is until Herman becomes sick with influenza and his mother and sister arrive to take him home. Their arrival does however feel a little melodramatic and some of the intense energy is lost as they feel a little overplayed.