Entertainment is a difficult business to crack. For some their lucky break comes out of nowhere, but for most success comes from a mixture of luck and hard graft. But in an industry filled with struggles and uncertainty, there are beasts ready to manipulate people’s dreams and aspirations to take advantage of those desperate for their big break.

This is the focal point of Amahra Spence’s Concubine, a fierce one-woman show about a young musician who falls in love with a beat producer who promises to help her make it big. With a blend of music and performance, we follow her journey as her life becomes more and more focused on her partner, and doing whatever he wants to please the seemingly charming man that kick-started her career.

With Concubine, Spence has created a compelling narrative that touches on topics such as human trafficking and abuse, that are often left undiscussed. Here, they are explored in a mature way that shows the horrific extent of these vile acts, and highlights an urgency to take action against the undiscovered Weinsteins still lurking in the shadows.

The sound, lighting and staging for the piece are superb, and build the play’s shattered world phenomenally. With only Spence filling the space, everything feels empty and unwelcoming. This level of quality on a small production sets the bar for others like it. There is real polish to everything that could easily match some larger shows.

My main complaint is that some of the characterisations could have been stronger. Spence’s Spanish, London, and Mancunian accents are strong, but her physicality in scenes with more characters remains similar, making it hard to tell which character is which. Admittedly, these moments are rare as the staging makes each character’s position in the scene distinct, but some more specific physicalities would make them clearer.

All in all, Concubine is a strong one-woman show. Spence is an engaging performer and I’m so glad that her show returned this year. While I’m unsure what has changed since last year’s production, a few more tweaks could make this show one of the greats. With its unique story and excellent writing, this show is well worth seeing. I hope to see more of Spence’s work in the future.    ★★★★☆    Jeremy Ulster   27^th February 2019