Show: THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES
Society: London (professional shows)
Venue: Almeida Theatre. Almeida Street, London N1 1TA
Credits: Book by Lynn Nottage. Music by Duncan Sheik. Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead. Based on the novel by Sue Monk Kidd. Directed by Whitney White. Produced in association with Sonia Friedman Productions, Lauren Shuler Donner, Marianne Mills, Bob Cohen, Hugo Six and Atlantic Theater Company.
Type: Sardines
Author: Alexander Wood
Performance Date: 20/04/2023
The Secret Life of Bees
Alexander Wood | 22 Apr 2023 10:37am
Photo Credit: Marc Brenner
In many ways The Secret Life of Bees has a great deal going for it.
A cast of great quality – their acting, singing and movement of an extremely high standard with some wonderful moments between the characters. There are lots of very good songs, a fine band, and a beautiful, well-lit, set.
The show is set in South Carolina, where bigotry, misogyny and racism still run rife in the aftermath of the historic 1964 Civil Rights Act, which aimed to ensure that black people could be guaranteed the right to vote, gloriously celebrated in ‘Sign My Name’. Lily, his young daughter, and Rosaleen, the house servant, decide to escape the bullying of Lily’s father T-Ray for a day; Rosaleen wants to register to vote, Lily just wants to get out of the house. After Rosaleen is beaten up by racists and arrested by the police the pair decide to escape. Lily has a postcard left behind by her dead mother which includes an address and an intriguing picture so they seek sanctuary at the honey farm run by black matriarch and businesswoman, August Boatwright in the small religious community called The Daughters of Mary.
Very much an ensemble piece, the talented and hard-working cast give excellent performances.
Eleanor Worthington-Cox plays the put-upon daughter whose confidence grows as the ‘Daughters’ nurture her (‘Frogs and Fireflies’) with a great deal of tenderness and sensitivity. A contrast to Abiona Omonua, Rosaleen, with her defiant confidence. And Rachel John combines strength with tenderness (‘When She Said Your Name’)Â in her portrayal of August.
And the duet between young Zachary (Noah Thomas) and Lily, ‘What Do You Love?…one of the most beautiful love songs I have heard.
I’m pleased that I saw this show but still uneasy about its realistic portrayal of southern states USA at a febrile time in American history (Rosaleen’s informal and cruel literacy test, mention of Emmett Till, the story of the Freedom Riders and the risks they took – and in a personal way, Zachary’s heartbreaking declaration that he and Lily don’t have a future together) compared to the escapism of the ‘Daughters of Mary’ community with their deep spiritualism, who, at the end of the show, are still pondering if having the right to vote was a good thing.
- : admin
- : 20/04/2023