The Lonely Londoners, Jermyn Street Theatre Review

Written by Bronagh for Theatre & Tonic

Disclaimer: Gifted tickets in exchange for an honest review.

This production contains themes of racism and acts of racial, domestic and gang violence. There are references to crime, animal cruelty, sex and homophobia/transphobia. This production also contains use of strobe lighting, haze and use of e-cigarettes on stage.

---

The Lonely Londoners is a 1956 novel by Sam Selvon, the story of the struggles of Windrush migrants in London. The racism, the poor housing conditions and low pay are just a few of the battles faced by the migrants as they arrive in London, where the streets aren’t quite paved with gold as they initially hoped. The Lonely Londoners hasn’t been adapted into a television series or a movie, which is surprising given the topics at hand and popularity of the novel. Roy Williams’ adaptation is the only page to stage adaptation, bringing the story back into focus 76 years after HMS Windrush first brought people over from the Caribbean to British shores. 

Moses (Gamba Cole) is our central character, having arrived in London years earlier. He lives in his small room in Bayswater, doing odd construction jobs and offering cigarettes and support to those still arriving in London. He is joined by Big City (Gilbert Kyem Jnr) who keeps mixing up place names – Ladbroke Grave, Gloucestershire Street to name a few – and Lewis (Tobi Bakare), whose wife and mother are coming to join him and will soon discover that he has not been receiving a huge salary and living in a lavish house. They are joined by Henry ‘Sir Galahad’ Oliver (Romario Simpson), fresh from Trinidad with only his toothbrush and some pyjamas. Finishing the stellar cast are Agnes (Shannon Hayes) and Tanty (Carol Moses), Lewis’ wife and mother as well as Christina (Aimee Powell), the pregnant woman Moses left behind who has the most beautiful, ethereal singing voice.

The performances are all brilliant, ranging from laugh out loud comedy to scenes of rage and sadness. One moment we’re laughing at the group reminiscing about making a pigeon into a stew, the next we despair along with Galahad after he is beaten up by Teddy Boys just for taking a white girl to the cinema. Each character experiences hardship in one way or another, the pain projected and felt in the intimate theatre. At one point Agnes proudly tells how she scolded a fruit and vegetable vendor on Portobello Road who tried to sell her rotten food; the way Hayes retells the story may be that of a jubilant woman but the racist undertones are stark. 

Throughout we get a mix of storytelling methods, from spoken dialogue to energetic choreography to fight scenes. A lot of The Lonely Londoners is made up of lively scenes with the men all in one room chatting, whether it’s teasing Big City or talking about killing pigeons. The more poignant and powerful scenes are the ones where the characters address a listener that we cannot see, gazing into and past the audience. 

The Jermyn Theatre is very intimate, seating only 70 people. The tiny stage is very bare, save for some hard cases which act as storage for costumes, seats and tables. The back wall is covered in light boxes, which clearly flash to signal a scene change and to add energy. They also flash up different London postcodes, from W2 to NW1 and back again. Personally, I really struggled with these as the lights were so bright, and in such a small place.

I am hoping that this adaptation will bring Sam Sevlon’s novel to a wider audience; it may have been written in 1956 but the issues are still current and need to be heard far and wide. The Lonely Londoners is a brilliant addition to the Jermyn Street Theatre’s repertoire with the run selling out quickly. Do get tickets if you can as this is seriously one show that should not be missed.

At the Jermyn Street Theatre until 6th April 2024.

★★★★★