Although billed as a musical centred around Brexit, Leave to Remain is decidedly a love story.
THE Lyric Hammersmith boasts this new musical written by Matt Jones and Kele Okereke, which runs till February 16. The two writers contribute their unique and individual perspectives to this rich story centred around Obi, born to west African parents (played by Tyrone Huntley), and Alex an American ex-pat (played by Billy Cullum).
The musical begins with the news that Alex’s firm will be relocating to Abu Dhabi as a reaction to the potential financial turmoil of Brexit. Thankfully, this is the first and last time Brexit is mentioned in the entire show.
It’s at this point, the romcom aspect of Leave to Remain truly begins to develop. Obi and Alex decide to get married so that Alex can leave his job and stay in the UK. The wedding attracts Alex’s parents over from America – his aggressively progressive mother, and laid back, timid father.
This causes Obi to reach out to his family, even though his father disowned him as a teenager for his sexuality. This collision of worlds brings new and old issues to the surface for everyone, and drama ensues.
Held up by a small cast, many of the actors in Leave to Remain double up their roles. Arun Blair-Mangat, specifically, excels in this area. I was particularly impressed with the way he changed his characterisation so completely for each role.
Both Rakie Ayola and Johanne Murdock deliver strong, empathetic performances alongside their on-stage husbands Martin Fisher and Cornell S. John.
Although Sandy Batchelor who plays Raymond, and Aretha Ayeh who plays Obi’s protective older sister, are not featured heavily in the show, they are the most likeable and relatable characters in my opinion. In no small part due to their great individual performances.
The sets throughout Leave to Remain are extremely sparse. Often, it would be the changing of the placement of a table and chairs that was used to showcase a change in setting. This could’ve ended up being underwhelming, or even confusing to the audience, but it was executed perfectly and was extremely effective.
The largest set pieces consisted of tall, industrial looking partitions on wheels. There was one scene, where one of the characters was high in a club in which the partitions were used, alongside some very effective lighting, to exaggerate what the character was experiencing. It worked spectacularly well turning a rather cliche scene into an exciting visual.
The wardrobe choices throughout the show are simple (as they should be seeing as Leave to Remain is set in modern-day London), but the inclusion of traditional west African garb, and whether or not it would be included in the wedding ceremony, was a nice touch. In fact, throughout the musical the inclusion of west African visuals, culture and music was very effective.
Without a doubt, the greatest triumph of Leave to Remain is the blending of west African music and late-hours gay club house music found in the likes of Fire in Vauxhall at 6am on a Saturday morning. It is an ingenious way to audibly deliver the essence of what the musical is about.
All in all, I found Leave to Remain is an excellent piece of theatre. The inclusion of both families’ reactions to having a gay son in their family is managed with respect and realism at all times, and what is a trope-y romcom plot line is given new life with the lead couple not only being gay, but interracial.
In a time where racial issues have never been more apparent within the LGBT+ communities, Leave to Remain delightfully sidesteps those issues and chooses to lead by example.
And for those tired of the Brexit rhetoric, the piece is a welcome respite from the doom – and – gloom narrative. I would definitely recommend anyone with an interest in a good love story to see Leave to Remain while you can.
Review by James Cunningham-Curry
To book tickets for Leave to Remain at Lyric Hammersmith, click here:
You must be logged in to post a comment.