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The Observer
04.08.19 Agenda- Play
Equus at Trafalgar Studios,
London
I saw this the other week and it
was phenomenal. It was written
in the 1970s by Peter Shaff er
and tells the story of a young
man who attacks six horses.
I read into it a deep comment
about performances of
masculinity and the pressures
for men to perform sexually
and the failings of that. It was
a beautiful adaptation: the
dancers morph into horses. I’ve
never seen anything like it on
the stage before. Th e set, the
performances, the actors – it
was electrifying.
4. Script
seven methods of killing
kylie jenner
I saw the play, but I think people
should buy the script and
read it like you would a short
story. I’ve never seen a script
look like this, ever. Th e book
is divided into TL, which stands
for timeline, and IRL – in real
life. Half of the play happens on
Twitter, and in the script they
have the memes printed out
and it looks like a Twitter thread.
It’s one of the bravest things
I’ve ever seen. It was written
by Jasmine Lee-Jones and
it’s a work of art: subversive,
funny, illustrative, powerful and
witty as hell. - YouTube
Chillhop Music
Normally when I write I need
dead silence – anything else
crashes in my head. But I’ve
been immersing myself in this:
they play laid-back hip-hop
instrumentals and I just have
it looping in the background.
It’s almost meditative. It’s
mellow, with lots of samples:
the drums aren’t too hard, the
beat isn’t too hard. It’s sort of
like taking a nice jog: when you
get into the rhythm of running,
it helps you process things. Th is
does that to my mental space:
it structures my thoughts, it
gives me a safe tapestry to
think on top of. - TV
Years and Years
I t was perfect: science fi ction,
fantasy and political awareness.
All the characters were
complex as hell and fl awed
and incredible. I saw a lot of
Afrofuturist ground – writers
such as Octavia Butler and
Nnedi Okorafor – covered in the
depiction of the girl who was
trying to become half AI. I have
three sisters, so I’m always
looking for positive depictions
of powerful black women. I
found the series prophetic: it
spoke so much about what’s
happening in America right
now. I binge-watched the entire
thing on BBC iPlayer
in one day. - Album
Dave - Psychodrama
I was late to discovering Dave,
but this album is magnifi cent
and understated. For a rapper
- who are bastions of black
masculinity – to structure
an album around interviews
with his therapist was so
exposing and true. Dave’s an
incredible lyricist and thinker.
Th e fact that his song Black
became a Radio 1 hit shows
England is now willing to have
conversations with itself
about racism and the legacy
of colonisation. British citizens
are braver than the politicians
think we are.
- Place
Deptford, London
I only moved there last
September, but it’s lovely. In
my block of fl ats we all moved
in roughly at the same time, so
we set up a WhatsApp group
and we often have coff ee
and cake. It’s nice knowing
my neighbours and feeling
we’re invested in each other’s
happiness. We can get into the
heart of London very quickly,
but it’s far enough that it can
be quiet, peaceful and very
chilled. Th ere’s a great park you
can run around and Deptford
market is awesome. I am sort
of part of the gentrifi ers , but I
think we’re still maintaining the
cultural vibrancy of the area.
Poet and playwright Inua Ellams was
born in Nigeria in 1984 and moved to
London with his family as a child. In
2009 his debut play, Th e 14th Tale,
won a Fringe First at the Edinburgh
festival. His latest play, Th e Half God of
Rainfall , set between Nigeria and Mount
Olympus, opened earlier this year. In
2018, Ellams was elected a fellow of the
Royal Society of Literature. After two
sell-out runs and a world tour, his hit
2017 play, Barber Shop Chronicles,
is at the Roundhouse, London, until
24 August. Kathryn BromwichO
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