Section:GDN 1N PaGe:19 Edition Date:190906 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 5/9/2019 18:43 cYanmaGentaYellowbl
Friday 6 September 2019 The Guardian •19Theatre review
Meaty roles in moving
study of a city in crisis
Michael BillingtonB
y today’s standards, the
plays of August Wilson
often seem diff use. The
plus side is that they
have a richness and
density of texture in
which social reportage is combined
with individual desperation.
That is eminently true of this
piece – the sixth in Wilson’s 10-play
cycle about African American
experience – which gets a superbly
acted production by Nancy Medina ,
winner of an award from the Royal
Theatrical Support Trust for young
directors.Wilson’s setting is a restaurant
in Pittsburgh’s once-thriving Hill
District in 1969 at a time of supposed
urban renewal that blighted small
businesses. Memphis, the restaurant
owner, is fi ghting city hall for
compensation but his overworked
chef, Risa, and his few remaining
regulars have battles of their own.
The most memorable is
Hambone, who might have stepped
out of a Ben Jonson play and who
for nearly a decade has been seeking
reparation for work done for a white
butcher. But Memphis’s customers
include an ex-con desperate for
work, an unemployed housepainter
and a hustling numbers man. The
only one thriving is the district’s
black-garbed undertaker.
Even if there is an upbeat ending,
this is a study of a crisis-ridden
city that fi nds temporary relief in
the black power rallies that take
place off stage. What strikes one is
the meatiness of the roles WilsonTwo Trains Running
Royal & Derngate,
Northampton
★★★★☆off ers to actors. Andrew French
captures perfectly Memphis’s mix
of impassioned self-determination,
yearning for his southern homeland
and casual subjugation of his self-
mutilating short-order cook, whom
Anita-Joy Uwajeh plays with a
wonderful truculent dignity. But
there is equally fi ne work from
Michael Salami as the recklessex-bank robber, Derek Ezenagu
as the obsessive Hambone, and
Ray Emmet Brown as the scuttling
numbers man.
You feel you know these people
through and through. Frankie
Bradshaw ’s set, with its wrecking-
ball suspended over the restaurant
and its fl yblown posters demanding
“Integrated Schools Now”,also creates a potent image of a
community under threat.
Wilson takes his time but this
production, co-presented by English
Touring Theatre, does justice to his
capacity to create public stories out
of private anguish.U ntil 14 September , then touring until
27 October▼ Anita-Joy Uwajeh plays Risa, an
overworked short-order cook, with
a wonderful truculent dignity
PHOTOGRAPH: MANUEL HARLANSamir and Olivia among
names for 2019-20 storms
PA MediaAtiyah will be the fi rst storm to blow in
across the UK and Ireland this winter,
according to the new list of names for
this year’s strongest weather systems.
Also on the list of storm names for
2019-20 being announced by the Met
Offi ce and Met Éireann today are Ciara,
Francis, Gerda, Maura, Noah, Piet,
Samir, Willow and Olivia.
Olivia was the most popular name
for girls in England and Wales for the
third year in succession, according to
Offi ce for National Statistics (ONS) data
last month.It is the fi fth year that the Met Offi ce
and Met Éireann have run the Name
our Storms campaign, which aims to
raise awareness of the impact of severe
weather before it hits. This year they
have been joined by the Royal Nether-
lands Meteorological Institute (KNMI),
the Dutch national weather forecast-
ing service.
Gerard van der Steenhoven , direc-
tor general of the KNMI, said: “We are
looking forward to working closely
with the UK Met Offi ce and Met Éire-
ann. Storms are not confined to
national borders, so it makes sense to
give common names to such extreme
weather events.
“As many people are travelling- sometimes on a daily basis – between
our countries, the use of common
names will make it a lot easier for them
to appreciate the hazards represented
by a large storm system.”
The season’s names have been com-
piled from a list of submissions by the
public. The selections include some of
the most popular names and as well as
others that refl ect the diversity of the
three nations.
The alphabetical list of names skips
Q , U, X, Y and Z to comply with inter-
national storm-naming conventions.
Derrick Ryall , head of public
weather services at the Met Offi ce,
said: “We were delighted with the
public response to our call for names
earlier this year and are really pleased
storm naming has been embraced by
press, media and public to better com-
municate the potential impacts of
severe weather, so people are better
prepared when it matters.
“Now coming into the fi fth year
of the Name our Storms campaign,
we look forward to continuing our
successful relationship with Met
Éireann, our partner in Ireland, and
are delighted to welcome our new
partners from KNMI.”
Evelyn Cusack, head of forecasting
at Met Éireann, said: “The naming of
storms by national Met services as
well as colour-coding weather warn-
ings provides a clear, authoritative
and consistent message to the pub-
lic and prompts people to take action
to prevent harm to themselves or to
their property. We are overwhelmed
with the huge response to our public
call for storm names.
“Please don’t be too disappointed if
your name hasn’t been used as you will
get another chance next year.”
The full list of storm names for 2019-
20 is: Atiyah, Brendan, Ciara, Dennis,
Ellen, Francis, Gerda, Hugh, Iris, Jan,
Kitty, Liam, Maura, Noah, Olivia, Piet,
Roisin, Samir, Tara, Vince and Willow.▲ Storm Helene whipping up the seas
at Porthcawl last September‘Naming prompts
people to take action
to prepare for storms’Evelyn Cusack
Met ÉireannRELEASED BY "What's News" vk.com/wsnws TELEGRAM: t.me/whatsnws