Theatre Review by our Theatre Reviewer Jonah Zalick #OnePlymouth
Mojisola Adebayo’s Family Tree is a powerful journey into the history of Henrietta Lacks – portrayed in the show by Aminita Francis – and the legacy she has left behind despite the non-consensual use of her cancer cells for scientific advancement. Adebayo tactfully handles a sensitive narrative that has been thrust moreso into the mainstream following the Black Lives Matter protests and, despite the show’s sorrowful moments, wants the audience to leave with their head held high. The knowledge shared by Family Tree as well as the pure black spirit and joy we saw embraced onstage certainly achieved that.
Francis plays Lacks with pride and charm, and if we hadn’t known her strong will and Southern grace before the show we had definitely come to know her well by the end. Alongside Lacks’ narrative and struggle with the stealing of her autonomy, Mofetoluwa Akande, Keziah Joseph, and Aimée Powell play women whose stories form both the ‘before’ and ‘after’ of Lacks’ life. Their narrative swaps between NHS nurses affected by COVID-19 (the vaccines of which had used Henrietta’s cell line – HeLa – to help development) and enslaved women who were being experimented on by James Marion Sims in the name of gynaecology. The strength shown by these women at different points in history is perfectly funnelled by the equally talented people playing them.
The only place where Family Tree would have benefitted from improvement was its set design. Simon Kenny’s heavenly garden through which these different stories are told appears more like a science-fiction landscape than one of an afterlife. Its DNA-shaped tree made of strands and what seemed Lacks’ cancerous ‘pearls’, as well as light-up stone plinths were interesting within themselves, but seemed to mismatch the overall tone of the play.
It was pleasant to know through the post-show talk how all actors connected to the play so intensely and received mental support while doing the production. The lives of these women are important stories to tell, but what’s also important is giving our creatives the back-up they need when accepting this person’s life into their own.
Overall, Family Tree was an enlightening experience that I would urge anybody to see. By seeing the show, not just do we learn but we embrace culture, from the time of slavery up until now, from all matters from music, to style, to spirituality. Though it could better from a few minor changes, Family Tree is a refreshing experience of unapologetic Blackness – direly needed in a world where any ‘other’ is anticipated to bow, stay silent, and be ‘one of the good ones’.
Theatre Review by our Theatre Reviewer Jonah Zalick #OnePlymouth
